The Third Bella
by LexiAmbroseCabana
Summary: Casey Bella is the younger sister of Nikki and Brie Bella, but in the ring she's a Bella Triplet. What happens when she and her sisters come back from their hiatus and she catches the eye of The Shield? Does she fall for the "mouthpiece" of The Shield, or will a certain Apex Predator get in the way? Eventual Ambrose/OC with mentions of Randy/OC
1. They're back

She walked into the arena for the first time since she and her sisters had gone on their year long hiatus. Of course, Nikki had gotten her boobs done so the triplet effect wasn't as strong, even though they weren't triplets. Casey was three years younger than her sisters, but they all looked alike so to the audience, they were the Bella Triplets, not the Bella Twins and their little sister Casey.

"It's good to be back, don't you think, Casey?" Brie asked and Casey nodded.

"So good." She responded as they walked passed three men she only recognized because she spent most of their hiatus working at NXT and knew that the sandy blonde was Dean Ambrose, and he was good in the ring. He winked at her and she fought the blush until all three had passed and then she looked up at her sisters, who were both wearing heels so they had a few inches on her at the moment, and they looked down at her.

"He winked at you, Casey, not us." Nikki informed as they entered the Diva's locker room and Casey shook her head as she set her bag down on the bench, her siblings following her lead and sandwiching her in as they all changed into their matching ring gear, except for Nikki, who changed into a curve hugging dress before heading down to catering. Brie left with Nikki and Casey went the opposite direction, heading for the loading docks to get some air.

She hopped up onto a crate and leaned against the truck it was stacked against.

"I think you're too pretty to be out here in the dark all by yourself." A smooth voice called out and she shrugged.

"Well, you're out here, so I wouldn't say that I'm alone." She called back, trying to regain her nerve. Her companion stepped into the light and she saw that it was Ambrose.

"You've got to be freezing in your gear." He murmured and she shrugged. "Why would you come out here, anyways?"

"I needed air, and obviously didn't think it through." She murmured, rubbing her upper arms with her hands in an attempt to generate heat, and didn't register that he was taking off his jacket until he draped it around her shoulders before hopping onto the crate beside her. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it, can't have my asshole image tarnished." He joked and she laughed. "But really, why come out here alone?"

"I've always felt better when I was alone, you know? In that arena I'm pretty much stuck between Nikki and Brie all the time and it's nice to be free of all the expectations."

"Did you want me to leave?" He asked and she shook her head, much to his relief.

"Nah, you're okay. Ambrose, right?"

"Call me Dean. Casey Bella?"

"That would be me." She confirmed and he smirked, leaning his head back against the truck.

"The Shield has been waiting for you to come back, you know."

"Me and my sisters?" She asked, looking up at him, but he still didn't look down at her.

"No, just you, Casey."

"Why me? I'm just-"

"You're not 'just' anything. You've got something that the others don't, something that especially your sisters don't have."

"And what's that?" She asked and he opened his mouth to answer, but when he looked down at her, he shut his mouth and hopped off of the crate.

"I wasn't here." He stated simply and she nodded without thinking about why he wouldn't have been with her.

"Casey?" She heard Brie call as he walked away and she was confused. Really confused. "Case, there you are. Come on, our match is in ten. Nikki is waiting for us at gorilla." Brie called from the doorway and she nodded.

"Coming." Casey called back, shrugging out of Dean's jacket and carrying it inside with her. "I need to stop by the locker room and throw this back in my bag." Brie nodded, fixing a piece of Casey's hair as they walked.

"You were out there alone?"

"Yeah, it was pretty relaxing."

"Huh. I'll have to try that some time." Brie murmured to herself as Casey slipped into the locker room and tucked Dean's zip up hoodie into her suitcase and rushed back out to Brie. "Ready to go kick some ass?" Brie asked, linking arms with Casey, who nodded.

"Always ready, Brie." They met with the Funkadactyls and Nikki, the five women slipping into easy conversation until "Somebody Call My Momma" started playing, that's when Cameron and Naomi went and did their thing and left Brie, Casey, and Nikki to watch.

"This should be easy." Brie muttered and Casey nodded.

"The real competition on that team is Naomi, so if we manage to isolate Cameron, we should be okay." Casey said in a low tone and Nikki nodded.

"She's right."

"Then that's what we'll do. You wanna start?"

"Sure." Casey nodded as "You Can Look But You Can't Touch" started and the two walked out on the stage.

_"And their opponents, accompanied by Nikki, from Scottsdale, Arizona, Brie and Casey Bella!" Justin announced while the two did their hip swivel and walked down the ramp. They slid on the apron in perfect unison and used the bottom rope as a springboard to vault over the top rope, also in perfect unison,before getting directed to their corner._

_"Cameron's starting, so get her on this side of the ring." Brie instructed and Casey nodded._

_"I've got this." The two high tened before Brie stepped onto the apron and the bell rung."_

The Shield sat in catering, watching the monitor carefully.

_"And a picture perfect drop kick from Casey Bella."_ Cole commented and the three men nodded in agreement, Rollins wincing when she hopped up and landed the kick a second time before tagging in Brie.

"Did you seethe air she got?" Rollins asked and the other two men nodded.

"I think she'd look great in Shield gear." Ambrose commented. _Among other things._ He added in his head, thinking about how she looked in his coat.

"You okay, man?" Reigns asked and Ambrose nodded.

"I'm fine. Brie certainly wasn't in there long."

"Brie landed wrong." Rollins commented and Ambrose nodded.

"It happens to the best of us. Let's go harass us some Bellas." Ambrose stated and his teammates nodded, standing with him and heading out to where they knew they'd intercept the Bella Triplets. Sure enough, they crossed paths, and Ambrose stuck his arm out to stop Casey, the other two almost didn't notice. Almost, being the key word.

"Can we help you?" Nikki asked, Brie crossing her arms while Casey just looked up at Ambrose.

"You two can't." Seth started and Ambrose finished for him.

"But Casey can. Run along ladies, she'll be safe with us."

"We don't think so." Nikki and Brie said in unison and Casey managed to pull herself away from Dean.

"Look, don't touch." Casey corrected, stepping in line with her siblings.

"Stand down, ladies. We don't mean any harm. Casey, think about what The Shield could do for you." Dean said simply before leading The Shield away. The Bellas all shared a look before Brie pulled Casey away with Nikki following close behind.

"What was that about?" Brie asked Casey, who could only shrug.

"I don't know. I wish I did, though." She mumbled as they entered the locker room. They all got changed quickly and Brie left in search of Bryan, Nikki left to go hunt down John Cena, and Casey went to take her bag to her rental, stopping by a monitor when she heard Cole say "This just in for Friday Night SmackDown."

_"A twelve man mixed tag match. It'll be The Shield and the Bella Triplets on one team, and they'll be up against Team Hell No and Ryback with the Funkadactyls and AJ Lee."_

_"That'll be an interesting match up, considering the friction between The Bellas and The Shield." Lawler stated before the main event started."_

"Twelve man mixed tag?" She asked herself as she continued on her path, and it wasn't long until she realized that she wasn't alone.

* * *

**Who's with Casey? Is it Dean again? Or is it somebody else? **


	2. Best Friends Forever

"Hi, Randy." She stated, looking back at the Missouri native, who happened to be her ex boyfriend. He gave a friendly smile and jogged up to keep pace with her.

"Hey, Casey. So, that shit with The Shield?"

"Is nothing. Like you should care. We broke up because you're an ass."

"I wanted to talk to you about that. I want to give us another shot."

"No."

"Casey, we-"

"No, Randy. You're verbally abusive and I can't handle that. Not a second time."

"Casey, I'm sorry. Give me another shot."

"She said no, shithead." Brie called rushing down the hall to get to her sister, Bryan in tow. "You don't deserve her forgiveness, you don't deserve to be in her presence. Casey, go do what you were doing." The younger Bella quickly followed her sister's instruction, leaving the arena and putting her suitcase in the trunk before getting in the driver's seat. She rest her head on the steering wheel and locked the doors, letting her mind wander.

_"I'm the only thing decent in the shit pile you call a life, Casey! You dump me, and you're stuck with your slut sisters who are the only reason you get noticed in this world."_ Randy had said that to her when she said that she wanted to take a break from their relationship. Shortly after she attempted suicide, failed miserably, then went on hiatus with her sisters. Originally, she wasn't supposed to go on a hiatus, but she couldn't be around Randy, and her sisters didn't want her near him. It was for the best.

"It's always for the best." She mumbled to herself, looking at her phone as it rang, filling her car with SexyBack by Justin Timberlake, an inside joke between her and Wade Barrett. "Hey, Wade."

_"You sound like you could use a drink. Or seven."_ He chuckled and she laughed.

"Or eleven."

_"I think we need to talk about our days at the bar, tonight."_

"We do. Did you drive yourself?"

_"Nope. Did you?"_

"Yep. I'm in the parking lot now, so if you're ready to leave, you can come find me."

_"I'll be out there in five."_

"Red Corolla." She informed before hanging up and sticking her phone back in the cup holder, returning her head to its position on the steering wheel. Wade was like her older brother, and her closest male friend, other than Brad Maddox. Those two together made her life interesting.

A tapping sequence on her window spurred her into unlocking her doors and opening the trunk and she heard the passenger side door open while she turned her head to see Wade leaning in.

"Hope you don't mind that I brought Brad along. He practically attached himself to me when I told him I was meeting up with you."

"That's always fine, Wade. I was thinking that maybe we could stop by a store and pick up a bottle or three of something and having a sleepover." She mumbled and he nodded.

"Do you want one of us to drive, Case?" Brad asked and she nodded.

"I'm feeling too shitty to drive. I'll ride shotgun." She said quietly and Wade nodded, reaching into the car and managing to assist her in moving to the passenger's seat. "Thanks, Wade."

"I'm here for you, Casey." He murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to her head before shutting the door and moving around to the driver's side, Brad having already climbed into the backseat.

"What happened, Casey?" Wade asked and she sighed.

"I ran into Randy after that thing with The Shield and he tried acting like he actually cared, and then he said that he wanted to give our relationship a second chance and I basically told him to go fuck himself, then Brie came to my rescue with Bryan, so I went to my car and I remembered what he told me when I said that I wanted to break up and now I'm just...bleh." She explained and the two nodded, Wade holding her hand in his for support. She gave his hand a squeeze and he smiled over at her.

"What was that thing with The Shield, anyways?" Brad asked and she shrugged as Wade pulled into the grocery store right by the arena and they all filed out.

"They want me in their group, I guess. I'm honestly thinking about their offer." She mumbled as they made their way through the store and found the liquor isle. "I'm feeling whiskey."

"You trust them?" Wade asked and she nodded as he held up a bottle.

"I trust Ambrose." She clarified. "I haven't really spoken to the other two."

"You've spoken to Ambrose?" Brad asked and she nodded as they went to the check out.

"While I was on hiatus I spent a lot of time helping at NXT. Regal had me work with Ambrose a bit with top rope stuff so that way he was a bit more well rounded for the main roster, not just a brawler." She explained as they walked back to the car and Brad gasped.

"You wasted your hiatus with NXT brats and not with us? I'm offended, Casey Mae Bella." Brad stated in mock offense, making her laugh as they all got back in the car.

"Oh, Brad, you know that you and Wade are my top priority guys, because you're like family to me. Even when I get a boyfriend I'll make sure he knows that you two will come first, and hopefully he understands that."

"I do hope that Ambrose will understand that." Brad muttered and she blushed.

"I don't think Ambrose and I will date."

"I think you will, love. You two would be a cute couple." Wade informed and she nodded. "And if you really liked him, we'd support you all the way."

"_You_ would, Wade. I'm still offended that she would waste her time at NXT and not hanging out with us!" Brad objected and Wade sighed as he parked in the hotel parking lot.

"You act like you didn't see me at all for that whole year. I was with both of you on your birthdays, and I made sure to see you guys at New Years, since I couldn't at Christmas time. Not to mention when you randomly popped into my apartment and invited yourself to stay for a week, Brad." Casey argued as they all got out of the car and Wade chuckled.

"You just got told." Ted DiBiase cut in and Casey grinned as he swooped in for a hug. "I've missed you girlie."

"I've missed you, too, Teddy."

"Please tell me you're staying. Like, it's not just going to be a two month thing, and then you're leaving again."

"I'm here to stay, Ted, I promise."

"You sound...off. You okay?"

"Come to our sleepover, she's got to tell us all about her day over a bottle of Jack." Wade suggested and Ted nodded.

"You had me at sleepover."


	3. He's A Nice Guy?

They were all pretty tipsy, with the exception of Brad. He was drunk off his ass, and the bottle wasn't even half empty, yet.

"Randy is such a dickwad. Like, you could've done WAY better, Casey." He slurred and she rose an eyebrow.

"Brad, go to bed, you're drunk." She giggled and Ted laughed from where he sat beside her. Wade had his head in her lap and she smiled down at him. "Are you falling asleep, Wade?"

"I'm getting there, love."

"Boo!" Ted jeered and she laughed as a knock sounded on her door.

"I'll get it." Brad suggested and she quickly pulled him down.

"You're too drunk to do anything, Brad. It's my room, so I'll get the door." Casey mumbled and Wade leaned up so she could stand and Ted made sure that she was steady as another set of knocks sounded against the door. She opened it and saw Dean.

"Hey, uh, are you doing anything right now?"

"Uh, drinking with the Brad, Ted, and Wade. Did you want to come in and have some Jack?" She offered and he shook his head.

"Uh, no, it's cool. I don't think those guys are big fans of me. Do you still have my jacket?"

"Yeah, did you want it back?"

"Nah, hang onto it for me, okay?" She nodded and realized that she probably sounded stupid.

"Uh, okay. I'm sorry, I'm super tipsy and-"

"It's fine, sweetheart. I heard that you and your sisters were having a 'glad to be back' celebration at the club Friday night after SmackDown."

"Yeah, are you going?"

"I thought I'd pop in, maybe have a dance or two with you?"

"I'd like that."

"Ambrose and Casey would have cute babies!" Brad shouted and Casey blushed while Ambrose raised an eyebrow.

"How drunk is he?"

"Too drunk."

"I'll let you go, then, sweetheart. Goodnight." He kissed her forehead and she felt her cheeks redden some more.

"Goodnight, Dean." She murmured with a smile before he headed down the hall and she slipped back inside.

"He's a charmer. He wasn't even talking to me and I felt my panties get damp." Brad slurred and everyone else stared at him. "What?"

* * *

She woke up to Brad rushing out of her bed to the en suite. Being the good friend that she was, she followed behind and rubbed his shoulders while he expelled his stomach contents into the toilet.

"Thanks, Casey." He groaned and she nodded. "Did anyone think ahead to buy aspirin?" He asked, resting his head on the toilet seat.

"Somebody should have some. If not, I'll run out and get some." She spoke softly, running her fingers through his hair.

"Can you go check now?"

"You'll be alright without me?"

"I hope. Hurry, Case." He mumbled as she left the room and headed to the door, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Dean squatting in front of her door.

"Oh, uh, morning, sunshine. I had to run out to the store for something and figured I'd pick up some aspirin for you and your friends in case you needed it." He explained as he handed her the small bottle and a note. "It's a travel bottle, so there's probably not that many, I didn't think to check the amount of pills in the bottle and-"

"Dean, it's cool. I appreciate it, and I'm sure Brad will, too." She laughed and he chuckled before handing her an envelope.

"That's for your eyes only, okay?" She nodded and he smirked. "Until next time, sweetheart." He gave her cheek a gentle pat and she nodded before he walked off and she reentered her room.

"What's that, Casey?" Wade asked and she shook her head.

"Aspirin for Brad and a letter from Dean, I guess?"

"What's it say?" Brad asked as he reentered the bedroom and she shook her head.

"He said it was for my eyes only. But, enough about that, we should all probably get ready to hit the road, huh?"

"As much as I would love to harass Casey over the Ambrose note, I've got to shower and she has a point about hitting the road." Ted groaned out as he stretched before pulling Casey into a hug. "See you around, Casey."

"For sure, Ted." She assured, letting him go before Wade pulled her into a hug.

"Everything will get better, love." He murmured and she nodded into his chest.

"It has to. I don't think I could handle going on another hiatus." She mumbled and he nodded in understanding before he released her and she kissed his cheek.

"You won't. Not if I can help it." She nodded and he grabbed his bag before heading out, leaving her with Brad.

"I want to know what the note says." He stated firmly and she shook her head.

"No. Go get ready to leave."

"Alright, Case. Love you, girl."

"Love you, too." He kissed her cheek and she smiled as he left before she laid back on her bed.

* * *

**So, what do you guys think of the new cover photo and the story so far? I know Dean was pretty OOC in this chapter, but he'll be a total asshole in this story later on down the road, so don't worry! Uh, leave reviews please please please so I know what I'm doing right, what I could do better, and if you guys have any ideas. I'd love to hear your feedback! **


	4. A Forming Alliance?

'_Miss Bella,_

_This is a formal invitation to join The Shield. You don't have to answer right away, the offer will always be on the table for you, and this isn't an offer we've given anybody at this point in time. Roman, Seth, and I are all in agreement that we can take you places in your career that you haven't been before. Like, for instance, a championship. We're well aware that you've been in this business for damn near four years, and have yet to touch the gold, yet both your sisters have. We view this as an injustice, and we want to right the wrongs of the business by guiding you to the Diva's Championship belt. We're not saying that you're incapable of getting the gold on your own, but it would take longer. Think about that._

_We're not going to stalk you, or try to scare you into joining us, since you're an adult and can make your decisions. You've got the hunger for the gold, you've got the skill, and you've got the look. Think about how you'd look surrounded by Seth, Roman, and I. Pretty fucking good, if I may say so myself. We have the tag match Friday night, I want you thinking about how it feels to be in The Shield's corner._

_Think about it,_

_Dean Ambrose'_

She read through the note in the car with her sister's on the way to the arena for SmackDown.

"What are you looking at, Casey?" Brie asked, looking back from the passenger's seat.

"It's nothing important." Casey responded immediately as Brie parked and her older siblings looked at her, not believing that it wasn't important.

"If you say so." Nikki sighed as they all got out and grabbed their bags. "So I was thinking that we'd go with the black, since we're teaming with The Shield and they wear black."

"Makes sense to me." Casey mumbled as they made their way through the arena to their locker room. "We get our own this time?"

"You're sharing with us." She heard Ambrose call behind them and Nikki huffed.

"Don't be pervs about it and we'll be okay." Brie stated and the three men nodded.

"We won't be pervs about it at all." Rollins assured and the Bellas nodded as they entered the room, Reigns holding the door open for them. They set their cases on the opposite wall and Casey made her way to the door to get their gear.

"Can one of you go with her?" Brie asked and the three men looked at her confused.

"Her ex is a dick and we'd feel better knowing somebody was with her to keep him away." Nikki explained and Ambrose stood and headed out the door after the youngest Bella.

"You're with me, why?" She asked and he shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Is it so wrong to want to escort a beautiful woman and make sure she's alright?" He defended and she rolled her eyes.

"I thought your asshole reputation couldn't be tarnished?" She asked with a smirk and he looked down at her with a smirk of his own.

"Eh, you're special."

"How? I'm just-"

"Casey!" She heard Randy call and Dean rose an eyebrow as the older man neared. Orton was her ex? No way. "What the fuck are you doing with trash like Ambrose?" Randy asked and Casey could see the aggravation on both men's faces. Dean's shined through his eyes more than anything, but Randy's anger was more than evident.

"Why the fuck does it matter, Orton?" Dean asked, pushing Casey behind him. "Keep going, sweetheart, I'll catch up." She nodded and hurried to where everybody's ring gear was kept and found the ones Nikki said she wanted. When she found all of their gear she turned and was chest to face with Dean and gave a slight yelp.

"I wasn't expecting that." She mumbled and he chuckled.

"I'd say that I'm sorry, but that was adorable."

"What happened to Randy?"

"I told him to back the fuck up before I beat the shit out of him." He explained simply and she nodded.

"Thank you. I could've handled that myself, but thank you."

"Not a problem, sweetheart."

They were quiet for the rest of the walk to their locker room and entered to see Roman and Seth dressed in their gear and laughing with Nikki and Brie. They took their gear and without a second's hesitation stripped down to their underwear and Dean couldn't help but admire the view he got of Casey until Roman smacked him upside the head and reminded him to get dressed.

"Case, are you being a prude tonight or are you going to the club?" Nikki asked and Casey sighed.

"I'll be at the club. I need to get my Brie Mode on." She joked as she slid her leg warmer things on and received a gentle punch in the arm from Brie.

"You bitch." Brie laughed and Casey rubbed her arm.

"Brie Mode?" Seth asked with a raised eyebrow and the sisters laughed.

"When Brie gets drunk she becomes a totally different person and we call it Brie Mode, because she gets really aggressive." Nikki tried to explain and Casey saved the day.

"It's a play off of 'beast mode'." The men 'ohh'ed and the three Bellas began to do their stretches. "Do we have some kind of game plan or what?"

"We were just going to work the isolation game to our advantage and tag regularly. You guys work the isolation game well, so we figured that wouldn't be a problem. But you've gotta be willing to help us out when we need it. We'll help you in whatever ways we can, as well." Roman explained and the three nodded.

"No selfishness." Brie stated and the five others nodded before they all shook hands before they left- The Shield went up to the audience entrance and The Bellas went to gorilla, every one of their opponents but AJ Lee had been announced already, so the Bellas were basically by themselves because they weren't fans of AJ in the slightest.

"They seem really nice, I'm gonna invite them to our thing tonight." Brie stated and the other two nodded, Casey having already known that Ambrose would make an appearance.

"You and Dean would make a cute couple, Case." Nikki mused, playing with Casey's hair and earning a playful swat from the younger woman.

"That's not the first time I've heard that." Casey mumbled as AJ Lee's music started and Casey looked around, seeing Randy lurking in a corner.

"Don't focus on him, Case. You've got bigger and better things to worry about." Brie tried to soothe, seeing how visibly tense she was. Casey only nodded as The Shield theme blasted through the arena, meaning that the final entrance of the night would be the Bella Triplets, and Casey could only hope that she could shake off the bad vibes she got from Randy before she had to go out in front of the thousands in the arena and the millions watching at home.

* * *

**Ending it just before the match, since I still have to write the whole match, I should have that done and up by tomorrow night, maybe. I guess that would be technically tonight, since it's after midnight right now. I'm not going to delay updates in return for reviews, but it would be awesome if you guys did. Some kind of confirmation that more people actually like what I'm doing, and if you don't it'd be cool to know what I can fix. **


	5. The Match

_**~"You can look, but you can't touch. You keep dreaming on the stars above"~**_

_Once the music started, the Bella Triplets filed out onto the stage, doing their vintage hip swivel in perfect unison before making their way down the ramp._

_"That hip thing is so hot." Dean said to Seth, who nodded in agreement and Roman did as well._

_"Flaunting their perfect figures." Seth added as they slid onto the apron in perfect unison and did their springboard vault over the top rope before they stood with the guys in the corner. They saw that Kane was starting the matchup and Roman willingly stepped up and the others filed onto the apron, the twins flanking Seth on one side of the post while Dean and Casey stood on the other side._

_"You feeling okay?" He asked and she shrugged as Roman was slammed to the mat by the Big Red Monster, causing all five members of team Bella/Shield to wince while the opposition cheered._

_"I feel like something bad is gonna happen. But it's just bad vibes from Randy, probably, so I'll be okay." She mumbled as Roman leapt for a hot tag and slapped Brie's hand, forcing Kane to tag in Cameron, who was more than willing to make up for getting her ass handed to her by the Bellas._

_Cameron charged at Brie, who side stepped and shoved Cameron into the turnbuckles in the one corner Cameron didn't want to be in. Everyone on the apron in that corner raised their hands so the ref could see while Brie shoved her foot into Cameron's throat for the whole five count before backing off, allowing her sisters to get in a cheap shot in the form of sharp kicks to Cameron's ribs while Brie had the ref distracted._

_She tagged in Nikki, who ended up receiving the brunt of Cameron's attempt to retaliate, both women ending up in a double cross body collision._

_"Come on, Nikki!" Both Brie and Casey cheered, and soon the Shield began to cheer as well in an attempt to get her amped up. But that wasn't enough. Cameron had already begun to move again so the Bella siblings on the apron shared a knowing look and Brie tapped Roman's shoulder and whispered something in his ear while the two hopped off the apron, bringing Seth along and Casey waited for the right moment._

_Brie, Seth, and Roman pulled down AJ, Kane, Naomi and Ryback, catching the four off guard and sending them into a daze as they all hit the floor. That got the ref's attention and Casey seized the opportunity to slip into the ring and pull Nikki a bit closer to the corner and sliding back to the apron before the ref saw her and Nikki tagged in Seth just as Cameron got to Daniel._

_"You guys play so dirty."_

_"What did you expect? We spent damn near a year of all three of us being Brie." Casey stated with a smirk as Seth dragged a subdued Daniel into their corner and tagged Dean. Seth held him up while Dean got in some rib shots before Seth had to vacate the ring and Dean clotheslined Daniel before going for the pin._

_"Two!" The Bellas called out after the ref did and Dean rolled his eyes. That was the __**one **__thing he couldn't stand about the trio in the ring. They had sex appeal, sexy gear, a very hot entrance, and they all had in ring talent, but calling out after the ref was the one thing he didn't like about them in the-_

_"How did he let that happen!?" Seth shouted and Roman shook his head as Dean dropped to the mat like a sack of potatoes after being on the receiving end of a hard kick to the head, courtesy of Daniel._

_"Come on, Dean!" Team Bella/Shield cheered as the opposing team did for Daniel, both men tagging in a fresh woman._

_Casey burst into the ring and caught Naomi with a flying forearm, catching her again when they both had stood up again. She landed a drop kick that sent Naomi flying into the ropes before Casey charged and rammed her knee into Naomi's face._

_"How ya doin', Seattle!?" Casey shouted, earning a high response from the crowd as she walked around the ring before hopping up onto the second rope and landing the Face Buster before going for the pin._

_"One! Two! Three!" The ref counted and Casey stood as the Bella's theme music played throughout the arena and the three sisters hugged as they and The Shield made their leave, the guys hopping over the barricade while the girls held L's to the forehead and called everyone in the ring a loser in the typical Bella fashion as they backed up the ramp on their way to the curtain._

* * *

They were all smiles as they walked down to their locker room, until they stepped inside and saw the mess.

"What the fuck...?"

"Holy shit."

"Who the hell..?"

The three sisters spoke in unison, seeing not only their clothes, but the Shield's clothes scattered all around the room.

"What the hell happened in here?" Roman's loud voice boomed behind the three women and they all looked back at him.

"We don't know." Brie mumbled as Casey slowly began picking up the clothes. Didn't matter whose it was, she picked it all up and dropped it all on the small leather loveseat in the room.

"Do you think Randy did this?" Nikki asked and Casey shrugged as she pulled her Ramone's tshirt out of the pile and neatly folded it before placing it on the arm of the couch.

"I wouldn't put it passed him. He has a bad streak of pulling bitch moves." Casey mumbled as she folded up a pair of jeans that could've been hers or Brie's and stacked them on the tshirt. Everyone else stepped up to follow her lead and it wasn't long before everything had been sorted and packed away and the two threesomes separated at the parking lot and Casey got a text as she got in the backseat.

_'Party carefully. I'll be watching.'_


	6. Let's Party

"Lighten up, Case! This party is thirty three percent for you." Brie stated, nudging her younger sister gently.

"I'm not feeling the party vibe, Brie."

"Don't let Randy drag you down! Get your Brie Mode on!" A very drunk Nikki shouted over the music in the club, forcing a sigh out of the younger Bella.

"I'm not-"

"Drink this! You'll start having fun." Dolph stated, handing her something unfamiliar.

"Did _you_ get this?" She asked and he nodded.

"It's a Cherry Bomb. Bottoms up, Casey." Dolph instructed, grinning when the brunette followed his instructions until he pranced off to go grind with Nikki on the dance floor.

"Why don't you look like you're having much fun?" Brad asked and she sighed.

"I got a weird text, and our locker room was ransacked by somebody while we were in our match, and I'm nervous, Brad." She explained and he frowned. _Not to mention I haven't seen Dean yet._ She added in her head as Brad pulled her out of the booth and on the dance floor.

"We're going to dance your worries away, okay? At least until a hottie wants me."

"I won't cockblock you, Brad." She assured as they began to dance, but it didn't last long.

"You have no rhythm until you're tipsy, so we're going to fix that." Brad called as he pulled her to the bar and ordered a tray of shots to be taken to their table in the VIP section.

"Those are on me." He informed and she nodded as they headed back to the table.

* * *

Dean walked into the club with Seth and Roman, then followed behind as Roman led them up to the VIP section. He saw Casey in a booth with Brad, and they were throwing back shots like it was nothing.

"She's finally drinking!" He heard Brie cheer and he noticed all of the empty shot glasses on the table, and the ones they'd yet to throw back.

"Get me a beer, man." He told Seth before sliding into the booth beside Casey. "How ya doin', sunshine?" He asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and throwing back one of her shots.

"Better, now that you're here."

Surely she was drunk. She had to be. She didn't make statements that implied that she was dependent on a man, especially to men that she barely knew. Brad couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his best friend, to which she rolled her eyes.

"What?"

"Am I not good enough for you, Casey?" Brad joked before bursting into hysterics.

"Fuck you." She giggled before throwing back another shot as Seth brought over Dean's beer before walking away to chat up some Divas.

He could feel that something had her gears turning, regardless of the fact that she was nine shots down.

"Let's go dance, Princess." He suggested and she nodded, letting him take her hand and pull her away.

* * *

She was having a good time with Dean, and thought nothing about it until Wade brought her phone over.

"It's ringing like crazy, I figured that it was probably important." He explained and she nodded, unlocking her phone and seeing more messages from the unknown number. Picture after picture of her and Dean, her and Brad, just her in general.

"What the fuck?" Dean asked and she shrugged, turning her phone to vibrate and slipping it in his pocket.

"I'm not worrying about it until tomorrow. Some creep is not going to ruin my night any more than they already have." She murmured and he nodded, wrapping his arms around her waist and swaying to the beat of the slower song. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rest her head on his chest, letting his calm heartbeat soothe her nerves.

"You're safe with me, sunshine." He assured softly, and she nodded. "And you look good. I like your hair."

He actually liked everything about her tonight. Her hair being curled in ringlets and waves wasn't the only good looking thing about her. Light make up, curve hugging little black dress that showed off her long legs, and her heels gave her a few inches, but he still had a few inches on her.

"Thank you." She mumbled softly and he nodded, letting his eyes scan the surrounding area for anyone suspicious or cameras pointed in their direction. "You look good, too."

"Only for you." This was true. He pulled out his best tshirt and the only pair of jeans he owned that didn't have a single rip, tear, or hole. He even put on cologne. That wasn't him. He had to borrow it from Roman, which elicited teasing from the large Samoan man. But he didn't exactly care about that in that moment. Casey thought he looked nice, and that's what mattered to him right now. "Have you had a creepy stalker for a while?"

"I've only been back for a week. But today is when, I guess you could say, it all started. There was the locker room, and then the first text, and-"

"Woah there, first text?"

"All it said was something about partying carefully because they'd be watching."

"You got a text like that and _still_ went out?"

"I promised Brie that I'd go." She wasn't going to tell him that she was also excited to see him.

Her phone vibrated in his pocket and he sighed as he pulled it out and unlocked it.

"More texts from this unknown number. We're getting out of here, Casey."

"I can't just leave my sisters." She argued, pulling away from him but he swiftly caught her wrist.

"This dick could care less about them. He's watching you, obviously. The last think you need is to further cloud your judgment."

"Dean, I-"

"Let me help you, Casey. It's not that hard."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you want to help me? I'm just-"

"How many times do I have to tell you? You're not 'just' anything, you're special, okay? Go tell your sisters that you're heading back to the hotel to go to bed, I'll meet you outside the door." She nodded and slipped her phone into his pocket.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it." She nodded and headed over to where her sisters were with Dolph and Daniel.

"I'm gonna go to bed, I'm not feeling the party vibes." She explained and her sisters nodded.

"Good night, Casey." The four called as she walked away and down to the front door. But she never made it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" She shouted at her captor once he removed his hand from her mouth.

"Shut the hell up." Randy growled and she rolled her eyes. "You sound insane."

"I sound insane? You grabbed me from behind and dragged me to a coat closet, and _I_ sound insane?"

"I'm your boyfriend, I can do what I fucking want."

"You're not my boyfriend! I broke up with you a year ago!"

"Stop shouting. Somebody is going to find us and-"

"That's the point! Let me out or I will scream 'rape'."

"You're a crazy bitch. But that's why I love you."

"No you don't. Let me go, Randy."

"Casey, give me another shot, please."

"There's no point! Let me out!"

"Think about it. Think about how happy we were." He said softly as he opened the door.

"The last thing I want to think about is how happy _you _were." She spat before storming out and bumping into Dean.

"I was just about to come looking for you."

"Fucking Randy." She mumbled as they walked down the sidewalk and Dean shoved his hands in his pockets while she crossed her arms.

"Did he hurt you?"

"Not physically. I have a killer headache, though."

"I'll take care of you, sweetheart." He promised, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.


	7. Stay

He led her to her hotel room and they stood outside the door.

"Can you stay with me until Brie comes back?"

"Of course." He assured as she unlocked the door and led him inside.

"I'm going to change into my pajamas."

"Which bed is yours?" He asked and she walked to the bed with the open suitcase and begun to dig through it.

"This one."

"You're a Bengals fan?" He asked when he peeked inside her suitcase and saw the black and orange shirt.

"Tied with the Cardinals, but yeah."

_A woman after my own heart._ The blonde mused to himself with a smirk as she walked to the en suite bathroom and he carefully placed the suitcase on the floor beside the bed so he could make himself more comfortable before he toed off his shoes and leaned up against the headboard while he waited for her to return. When she returned, he gave her a once over and decided that her natural beauty outweighed everything else. She looked at home in the black and white plaid flannel pajama pants and a Batman tshirt with her hair tied up in a high bun.

"What?"

"Nothing. You look good, I swear." He assured and she nodded as she sat beside him on the bed.

"So, tell me about yourself, Mr. Ambrose."

"Well," He started, completely unsure what he actually wanted to tell her this early on. "I was born and raised in Cincinnati, I've wanted to wrestle professionally since I was a kid, I was in a wrestling school as soon as I could, and I spent quite a bit of time in the indies and now I'm with the WWE."

"What companies?"

"I was with DGUSA, CZW, HWA, IPW, FIP, Evolve, JAPW, and I did a couple Ring of Honor matches."

"What was your name back then?"

"Jon Moxley." She nodded again and he looked down at her.

"What about you?"

"I was born and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona. I also have wanted to wrestle since I was a kid, but I played Tennis and did some ballet dancing, starting both when I was six, and I was a state champion my sophomore and senior year."

"What happened your junior year?"

"I broke my ankle at districts and couldn't play at state."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. But I was dragged to FCW with my sisters, and sadly, I'm pretty sure I only got in because I look just like them."

"But you're so talented."

"Yeah, well, I worked hard."

"How did the whole Randy thing happen?"

"That's a long story."

"We've got all night." He assured and she sighed. "If you don't want to, it's fine, I have a bad habit of being curious."

"No, you deserve to know since you've been dragged into this."

"Your phone is ringing." He stated simply and she nodded, taking it from him and answering it without thinking to check the caller ID.

_"Have you given it any thought?"_ Randy asked and she sighed.

"How did you get my number?" Dean rose an eyebrow and she rose a finger to stop him from saying anything as she stood up from the bed and began to pace while Randy spoke.

_"That doesn't matter. What matters is that I've been thinking of you. The way you walk, how you look naked and beneath me while I'm pounding you into the mattress and the way you'd scream my name when I made you cum over and over-"_

"Okay stop. Randy, this is weird. Really weird. We broke up over a year ago. Most people, sane people, would've moved on already."

_"Those voices in my head tell me that I love you. They say that we didn't break up and that you were just joking."_

"It wasn't a joke. I was dead serious, Randy. This is getting weirder and weirder by the minute and I'm not going to lie, I'm severely uncomfortable."

_"Good. I want you to be scared, I want to make you squirm."_

"You're such a fucking asshole!" She shouted, hanging up and blocking the number.

"What the fuck was that about?" Dean asked as Casey sat down at the end of the bed and held her head in her hands.

"He's such a fucking creep, not to mention he's crazy, and for some reason still believes that I'm his girlfriend." She mumbled, throwing herself onto her back and Dean moved so that he was laying on his stomach, propped up on his forearms so that way his head was hovering over hers. "I just want to know what snapped in his head that he decided to turn in his psycho switch and leave it on."

"When did that happen?"

"Two months into our relationship. Then he became verbally abusive and I got out two months after that."

"At least you got out. Most women don't think that they can." She saw the look in his eyes, he must've known somebody who didn't get out.

"If only he'd leave me alone. I'd be a lot happier."

"I'll take care of it. The Shield will take care of it, because that's what we do." He assured and she nodded.

"You'd do that?"

"Of course. I just want you to be safe."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it." He murmured, leaning down, and she tilted her head up to press her lips to his. The way their lips met was odd, but for the chaste connection, it worked. She held back her yawn until he pulled away and then quickly covered her mouth as the sound escaped.

"You should get some sleep."

"Don't leave me."

"Not until Brie gets back." He stated with a nod and she smiled as she sat up and moved herself to lay on the pillow and Dean got comfortable with her beneath the covers, not at all intent on sleeping.

Brie stumbled into the hotel room at about three am, barefoot, and carrying her heels. She wasn't expecting to see Dean Ambrose fully clothed and cuddling with her younger sister. But Brie being in Brie Mode didn't think anything of it, stripped down to her underwear and collapsed face first onto her bed, falling asleep instantly.


	8. What Are We?

Casey managed to make it through the next few weeks without a major incident, with Randy or The Shield and found herself in the title hunt for the newly created Diva's Intercontinental Championship and for once, at WrestleMania XXIX, there would be two Divas matches. She was in one and got to escort her sisters to the other. She and Dean were kind of a couple, but they weren't anything official. Both had commitment phobias for different reasons. She was afraid that Dean would do what Randy did and snap, and he was afraid that she'd see the darker side of him that he'd managed to keep hidden from her for this long. They spent a lot of time together, though, despite the fact that he didn't want to get overly attached to her.

"So I was thinking that maybe you'd like to be my date to the Hall of Fame ceremony?" She asked as they entered the hotel that they'd be staying in for the week and he shrugged.

"Wouldn't that require me dressing up?" He asked as they approached the counter and she rolled her eyes.

"If you don't want to go, all you have to do is say 'thanks for the offer, but I don't wanna go'. That's all. Casey Bella and Dean Ambrose." She told the clerk who nodded and programmed their keys.

"You're putting too much on it. It's not that I don't want to go, Case. That's not it at all." He stated as they took their individual keys and headed towards the elevator. "I'm in 602."

"612. So if it's not that you don't want to go, what is it?" She asked and he sighed.

"That's like, a super official thing and I don't want you getting pestered by the world over whether or not we're an item." He reasoned, trying to keep his cool.

"What are we, Dean?" She asked and he sighed.

"I dunno, Casey." She sighed as they were stopped by Brie who was with Natalya and two women she didn't recognize.

"I haven't seen you in what feels like forever." Brie stated as she hugged Casey before hugging Dean.

"We've been working together at NXT." Dean explained and Casey smirked.

"The match of my career is this Sunday, we've been working hard."

"You better be, girlie. Our gear for Sunday is so cute."

"I saw." Casey agreed and Dean rolled his eyes when Natalya cleared her throat.

"As much as I'd _love_ to chat about your ring gear for your matches this Sunday, Casey should introduce herself to the rookies."

"They're rookies?" Casey asked and Brie nodded.

"I'm Eva Marie."

"And I'm Jojo." The two introduced themselves and Casey smiled, she could already tell that Eva Marie was going to be a pain in the ass.

"I'm Casey Bella, and I need a nap. It was nice to meet you, both, and I will see you around."

"Casey!" Brie laughed and the younger Bella rose an eyebrow. "That's so rude.

"It's truth, and I have an important conversation to get back to."

"What are you two talking about that so important."

"Her match." Dean covered quickly, taking Casey's hand and beginning to pull her away. "We'll see you later, Brie." He threw over his shoulder and Brie nodded from her seat in the hall as the pair hit the elevator.

"Why can't we be a thing, Dean?" Casey asked as they entered the elevator and he shrugged.

"I really like how things are between us, and I don't want to get used to calling you mine, and then once you see me on a bad day, you leave me."

"What makes you think I would leave just because you had a bad day?"

"Because I turn into a totally different man. I'm not this sweet, caring guy all the time. I've got issues."

"Who doesn't have issues, Dean? I only wouldn't be able to handle if you got abusive in any form."

"I'd never do or say any of the shit Randy did, said, and continues to say to you. I could never hit a woman, no matter how pissed or drunk I was, I promise." He stated as the doors opened and they walked down the hall.

"I sense a 'but' coming on." Casey murmured and he sighed.

"But I'm just- I dunno. Why can't what we have, work for you?"

"Because I want something more with you, Dean! I want to wake up in the morning with you, every morning and snuggle with you at night. I want to be able to watch the monitors backstage and say 'hey that's my boyfriend', and not 'hey, that's my really good friend who I occasionally fuck from time to time'."

"Casey, I want to be that for you, I do. I just don't know if I can."

"Well when you figure it out, you know where I'll be for the rest of the week." She informed him before storming down the hall to her room. He winced as her door slammed shut and he pressed his forehead against the door.

"Leave it to me to fuck everything up." He grumbled to himself, unlocking the door and dragging his bag inside.

* * *

When Nikki entered the room she was sharing with her little sister, she frowned upon seeing that she was curled up in the fetal position, fast asleep. That meant that she had cried until she went to sleep and there could really only be one reasons that she would do that, and that reason was Dean Ambrose.

"Casey, what happened?" Nikki asked, knowing that her little sister was a light sleeper when in this emotional state.

"Dean said that he didn't think he could be a 'relationship' type of guy."

"Exact quote?" The older Bella asked as she sat down beside Casey.

"No."

"Casey, crying over him isn't going to solve anything. Just give him time, and distance yourself from him, okay? You both need time apart, so he can get his shit together, and you can get your shit together." Nikki advised, running her fingers through Casey's hair as the younger woman nodded. "We're going shopping tomorrow for the Hall of Fame ceremony Saturday night."

"I'd like that."

"I know." Nikki murmured with a small smile as she stood up and headed into the bathroom.

* * *

"What's up with you, man?" Seth asked as he entered the hotel room and saw Dean laying face down on the floor of their hotel room.

"I fucked everything up with Casey."

"Shit, man. How?" The younger man asked as he stashed his suitcase beneath the bed he planned on sleeping in for the week.

"She basically told me that she wanted to be a couple."

"What did you say? But roll over. I can barely hear you." Dean did as requested before answering.

"I told her that I wanted to be a couple, too, but I didn't know if I could be that guy for her." Seth sighed and nodded in understanding.

"I think you can be that guy for her. You're a totally different guy with her, you and I both know it. But give her time, man. You telling her that probably hurt her like a bitch."

"Don't remind me."


	9. Time Apart

"Why is he so...slumpish?" Roman murmured to Seth as the three met up for dinner at a diner close to the hotel and the younger man shrugged, both looking at their friend who was staring at his phone.

"He fucked shit up with Casey."

"How did he do that?"

"She wanted to be more and he said that he didn't think he could be that guy." Roman looked directly at Dean, who was too busy looking at his phone wallpaper, which happened to be a picture that Casey had taken of them while they were at the beach together.

"Dean." Roman said his name firmly, hoping for eye contact with the younger man.

"Huh?" The sandy blonde didn't remove his glance from his phone and the Samoan sighed.

"Staring at your phone isn't going to make her call, and you know that."

"Yeah, man, cheer up."

"How can I cheer up when I just fucked up one of the best things I had in my life?" Dean snapped and his two teammates looked at him in shock. "I'm not that hungry. I'll catch up with you guys tomorrow."

"We're hitting the gym, right?"

"Bright and early." Dean assured and the two nodded before he left the diner.

* * *

"So tomorrow we're hitting the gym, coming back and showering, then we're getting pedicures and then shopping? Or shopping then pedicures?" Brie asked as she, Casey, and Nikki all sat on one of the queen sized beds and watched game shows while eating slightly junky food in their flannel pajama sets.

"I think we should go shopping first, and reward ourselves for all our hard work with the pedicures." Nikki stated and Casey nodded with a grin.

"You know what we're missing?" Casey asked a Brie shook her head.

"A stripper?" Nikki asked and Casey laughed.

"Board games. I'm gonna run down to the lobby and see if they have any." Casey stated and her two sisters nodded as she pulled on her socks and shoes before heading out the door.

* * *

Dean was too busy sulking in his own misery to notice that the object of his affections, and the reason that he was so upset, was standing next to him on the elevator. Casey noticed right off the bat, but kept quiet since he hadn't said anything to her. Nikki told her to give him time, and that's exactly what the young Bella was going to do.

When the doors finally opened, Casey stepped out of the elevator with Dean and he seemed completely unfazed by her presence as they practically walked side by side until he reached his door and she had to keep going down the hall to hers. It hurt her, it really did, but she was going to play it off like nothing was wrong and everything would be okay.

"I got Life and Sorry." She informed her sisters and the two nodded eagerly.

* * *

Casey walked into the gym with her sisters clad in a loose pale orange long sleeved cropped top over her sports bra and her black spandex yoga capris. Sadly, the first thing she noticed was Dean, and he seemed to be staring right at her from where he did bicep curls with two large looking dumbbells in sync with Roman.

"Do you wanna go?" Brie asked and Casey shook her head, heading straight for the ellipticals because they were where she wouldn't see him and, hopefully, he couldn't see her.

_'She looked so broken'._ Dean thought to himself as he kept doing his second set of bicep curls. The fact that it was his fault that her just looking at him made her look like she was about to cry, just made him more pissed at himself.

"You okay?" Seth asked from where he was doing sit ups at Roman's feet and Dean shook his head.

"She looked like she was about to cry when she saw me, man. I can't handle being the reason why she's so upset." Dean confessed and Seth sighed.

"So man the fuck up, fucking apologize, and ask her to be your fucking girlfriend." Seth ordered, continuing to do his sit ups as he spoke.

"No, he can't, Seth. They need time apart. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and he needs to make sure that this is actually what he wants." Roman argued and Dean looked at him.

"You're right."

"I know.

* * *

"I'm _not_ wearing a leopard print dress to the Hall of Fame ceremony." Casey objected with a laugh as she sorted through a rack for a dress in her size. She pulled out a black floor length piece that she would have to wear heels with, but it was gorgeous. "I'm gonna go try this on." She informed her sisters and both nodded as she walked away.

"She's really torn apart over Dean." Nikki stated quietly and Brie nodded.

"He's torn up over her. Did you see the way he looked at her in the gym? He misses her." Brie murmured as she pulled out a dress for herself and Nikki did the same. Their conversation was over, since they really had nothing else to say. There was nothing that they could do. It was all up to Dean and Casey to save their relationship.

* * *

The two spent the next few days in their ruts. Dean was spending most of his time in the gym, while Casey worked out more in her hotel room since she didn't want to run into him. She barely ate and he barely slept. The two were on a crash course to their own self destruction, and neither cared because the other wouldn't initiate the conversation.

Wade, Brad, and Ted would stop by daily and make sure that she got some type of food in her system and human interaction that wasn't with her sisters. All three were concerned about her health, especially with her triple threat match for the inaugural Diva's Intercontinental Championship against Aksana and Alicia Fox on Sunday.

* * *

During the Hall of Fame ceremony Casey was acting more like her normal self than anyone had seen since that day. Her sisters and friends who were aware of the situation were pleased with her attitude turnaround, and seeing her bright smile as she danced with Mick Foley made her older sisters quite happy as they were passed along from man to man, making sure to watch their sister as she also circulated the dance floor.

"May I?" She heard an all too familiar voice ask her current partner, William Regal, who didn't see the harm in letting the younger man take over.

"It was a delightful dance, Miss Bella."

"Thank you, William. I must say your dancing skills are to be noted."

"Thank you, Miss Bella." They kissed each other's cheek before Casey turned to the blue eyed man before her.


	10. May I Have This Dance?

_God, she has a pretty smile._Dean mused to himself, looking around the room. He was alone, and that was exactly how he felt. Alone with a side of empty.

"Like a whole damn five course misery meal." He muttered to himself as his door was almost thrown open.

"You need to get dressed." Nikki Bella ordered and he sat up.

"What?"

"I told myself that I wouldn't get involved, but now I have to. You want to be with her, obviously, because you're two steps away from crying yourself to sleep like she has been. Get your ass dressed, you're going to Hall of Fame ceremony."

"Isn't it over?" Dean asked as he stood and she handed him the tux. He wasn't going to ask how she got one so quickly, he didn't care. Something was very wrong and he could see it in the woman's eyes.

"There's a little after party with drinking, dancing, and Regal handed Casey off to Randy twenty minutes ago, and he hasn't let her go." That lit a fire under his ass. She'd never seen a man get dressed and ready so quickly, and it wasn't long before Dean was dragging her down the hall to the elevator.

Meanwhile, Casey was getting more and more terrified as time went on. Randy kept saying things about how that was how things should be. How she should be with him all the time, and not wasting her time on anything but being with him. Casey knew that her chances of getting away were slim, not without causing a scene and that's the last thing she actually wanted. She caught Brie's eye and saw her mouth _just wait_ before giving a nod.

"Why are you doing this to me, Randy?" She asked and older man gave a laugh.

"Why am I doing what to you? I'm not doing anything, Casey. Just shut up and dance with me." The Bella nodded, tears in her eyes. This wouldn't have been happening if Dean had been with her. But she didn't blame Dean in the slightest. She blamed herself for overreacting that Tuesday afternoon. "Don't cry sweetheart, I forgive all the things you've said to me. I understand that you were overwhelmed by coming back from hiatus. I still want to be with you, Casey."

"Tough luck with that one." Dean cut in. "May I?" Casey looked between the two men, praying that one of them wouldn't make a scene. She got her wish when Randy released her and backed away, allowing Dean to step in. "You okay?"

"Better now that I'm away from him. Why'd you come down?"

"Nikki barged into my room and told me to get my shit together because you were in a potentially dangerous situation." He explained, as if it were simple, and she nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. He tilted his head so that he was resting his head on hers. Neither said anything, they just danced, small smiles on both of their faces.

Nikki and Brie leaned against the bar, taking pictures of the two on their phones.

"Seriously, you two?" John Cena asked and Nikki slapped his arm when he came close enough.

"She's happy, you ass. Let us be happy for her."

"She's twenty six. Do you really need to photo document this like a prom date?"

"Again. She's happy. Shut up." Brie stated before picking up a glass of champagne.

* * *

"You look beautiful, tonight." Dean murmured into her ear and she blushed.

"You clean up pretty nicely, yourself. I didn't think you'd ever wear a tux."

"Nikki threw it at me and told me to get dressed. When she told me that you were with Randy I was dressed and ready faster than I've ever gotten dressed before." She giggled and he mentally cheered.

"I know how you love to take your time getting dressed."

"Only when you're watching." He teased with a smirk, playing with her a piece of her wavy dark down hair and she grinned into his suit jacket. "We need to talk, Casey. Not here, it can be whenever you feel like it. The guys told me to give you space and time, but I can't wait any longer."

"Nikki and Brie told me to give you space."

"I don't need space, Casey, I need you."

"Well, let's go talk, then?" She asked with an unsure smile and he nodded.

"Let's finish this song, first."

* * *

"So, let me make sure that I'm hearing you correctly." He stated from where they sat in her hotel room. Both had already changed into pajamas and they sat on the floor cross legged and facing each other. "You want to apologize for losing your temper, when the whole argument was my technically my fault and I needed to hear what you had to say, but you're still apologizing?"

"I am. I shouldn't have snapped like that. There's a way to handle things and I did the complete opposite." She said softly, looking down at their joined hands.

"Sweetheart, I accept your apology, but let's be honest. I had to hear it like that, because I can't walk the middle road forever, you know? I want to be your boyfriend."

"Do you think you can do it?" She asked, looking up into his eyes and he shrugged.

"I won't know unless I try. So, will you be my girlfriend, Casey?"

"I would love to be your girlfriend, Dean." She murmured with a small smile and he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers softly.

"We should both get some sleep, huh?" He asked once they pulled away and she nodded. "Can I stay here?"

"Of course." He grinned and stood, taking he hands in his and pulling her up with him.

"Do you always have the bed furthest from the door?" He asked as they got comfortable in the bed and she nodded against his chest.

"I feel safer, y'know?"

"I understand." He yawned, tilting his head away from her before kissing her head. "Get some rest, babe. We've got a big day tomorrow."

"Mhm. Goodnight, Dean."

"Night, Casey."

* * *

Nikki and Brie walked into the room, Seth and Roman following behind them. They all stopped when they saw the new couple fast asleep in the bed and all four took a picture.

"I think the six of us should go to breakfast tomorrow." Nikki suggested and Brie nodded.

"For sure." Seth agreed and Roman nodded.

"Goodnight, ladies."

"Night." They called a bit too loudly and Dean opened his eyes, looking at the four standing by the door and seeing their smiles and smirks of approval. He only raised his middle finger to his lips with a tired smirk before shutting his eyes and going back to sleep.


	11. Happy Birthday Champ!

"Good luck, Wade!" Casey wished, jumping up and managing to pull him into a hug.

"Thank you, Casey. I trust things are alright with you and Dean?"

"We're a couple now."

"That's exciting. Way to go. But you should be getting ready for the match of your career."

"I'm going. I just saw you and thought that I should make sure that you're ready."

"I'm good to go." He assured as he set her on her feet and kissed her forehead before continuing on his way and she went to pick up her gear. She bumped into Dean on her way and he kissed her softly.

"How are you feeling?" He asked and she grinned.

"Confident. You?" He toyed with his vest and smirked.

"I'm ready to beat Orton's ass."

"You can't let that cloud your judgement though, Dean."

"I know. I should let you go get ready, since your match is after mine."

"Yeah, I guess." She mumbled, not really wanting to separate from him.

"One more thing." He saiid as she began to walk away.

"Hm?" She hummed as they began walking down the hall together, looking up at him.

"Happy birthday." She stopped dead in her tracks. There's no way he knew when her birthday was.

"I never told you when my birthday was." She stated, raising an eyebrow and he shrugged as he walked her to the Diva's locker room.

"I peeked at your drivers license. Mine's December seventh, so we're even."

"Eighty six?"

"Eighty five." He corrected and she nodded. "Tonight's going to be a big night of celebration, and tomorrow we have RAW, so I was thinking that on Tuesday I could take you out for dinner as a birthday present from me?"

"If you think about it, you being my boyfriend could be my present."

"That's too cheesy. We'll go to dinner." She giggled as they got to the Diva's locker room and he kissed her softly. "Good luck, tonight."

"Good luck to you, too." She murmured with a smile before he walked away and she slipped into the room to get dressed in the sparkly red attire before heading out and getting spotted by her second favorite Brit.

"You look so cute!" Layla squealed, hugging the Bella and she smiled.

"Thank you! Have you seen my sisters?"

"They're waiting for you in gorilla."

"Thanks!" Casey called and continued on her way to gorilla to see her sisters in their equally sparkly gear and looking pissed. "What's wrong?" Casey asked and the two looked at her.

"Natalya was talking shit about you getting this match and not her." Brie informed and Casey rolled her eyes as she watched the monitors durning the Shield match.

"She can kiss my ass." Casey stated before wincing as Big Show chopped Dean's bare chest.

"That's gotta fucking hurt." Nikki breathed and Casey nodded, keeping her attention on the monitor and jumping in excitement when Dean picked up the pin.

_"The Shield won! The Shield won!"_ JBL cheered and the twins hugged their little sister as they cut to the little PPV commercials that they had and Aksana's theme started, then Alicia Fox's theme. Casey shook out her jitters and took a deep breath as she and her sisters were given their fifteen second warning.

_**"You can look but you can't touch. You keep dreaming on the stars above."**_

_The triplets did their trademark entrance, but only Casey vaulted into the ring. She removed her little hat , handing it off to her sisters before leaning standing in the middle of the ring as they were all announced._

_"This is a triple threat match for the first ever Diva's Intercontinental Championship! Introducing first; from Althyus, Lithuania, Aksana! Next; from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Alicia Fox! And next; from Scottsdale, Arizona, Casey Bella!" The crowd erupted in cheers for the Bella and Casey grinned as the bell rang and the three women shook hands. But Casey kept a tight hold on Aksana's hand and pulled the European into a drop kick._

"That's my girl!" Dean cheered as he watched the monitors with a confident grin as Casey single handedly dominated the other two until Alicia Fox fled the ring and Aksana seized the opportunity to poorly apply an ankle lock.

_Casey managed to roll out of the lock and put Aksana in a submission hold that Dean taught her. She carefully hooked her left ankle behind her right knee and folded the right leg over, leaning over and applying her weight to Aksana's leg before slipping her torso under Aksana's right arm and locking her hands around the European's neck._

_"Aksana, do you submit!?" The ref asked and she shook her head._

_"Ask her again, ref!" The twins shouted and the ref complied just as Aksana tapped and the ref called for the bell to ring._

_"Your winner and the first ever Diva's Intercontinental Champion, Casey Bella!" The twins slid into the ring and celebrated with their little sister, jumping up and holding the belt up with their sister. They all left the ring and held L's to their foreheads as they backed up the ramp._

Nikki pinned the hat back on Casey's head once they were behind the curtain and they all jumped over the belt.

"We've got to go plan for our match, now. We'll see you later?" Brie asked and Casey nodded.

"Of course." The twins didn't wait and longer to rush off to find the Rhodes Scholars, leaving Casey to wander aimlessly and accept all the congratulations thrown her way until she felt herself get grabbed from behind.

"Easy, sweetheart, it's just me." Dean soothed and she turned in his arms. "How's it feel to be the champ?"

"It feels like I'm just Casey. I don't feel any different. My ankle hurts from that terrible ankle lock, but other than that I'm alright."

"Couldn't help but notice how familiar that submission hold was."

"I learned it from a very talented man in Florida. Can I see your chest?" She asked and he shrugged, pulling his shirt up and she winced, seeing all of the welts from having his chest smacked repeatedly. "Oh, babe."

"It doesn't hurt as bad as it did earlier. Maybe you could kiss it better?"

"Maybe tonight." She teased with a smirk and he grinned, kissing her softly and backing her into the wall as he lifted her so she'd wrap her legs around his waist as the kiss escalated in passion, neither taking into account that _anybody _could walk down that hall, and that anybody could be their common enemy.


	12. Oh No He Didn't

After the main event on RAW, Casey went down to the ring for her "championship celebration". When Triple H mentioned it to her, she was chatting with Dean about their date the following night, and was completely thrown off when Hunter approached and told her about it. Dean didn't like it in the slightest, and mumbled something about it being a set up, but Casey told him to relax because nothing bad was going to happen. Her bright smile and reassurances didn't make him feel better about it.

"Bro, just relax." Seth tried to calm Dean, who was pacing in their locker room, while he and Roman watched Casey walked down to the ring by herself on the monitor in their locker room.

"How can I relax, she's all alone out there, Seth!? This whole thing screams 'set-up'! Am I the only one who sees this!?" Dean shouted, and his teammates sighed as Casey started to speak.

_"Last night, at Wrestlemania, I made history by becoming the first ever Diva's Intercontinental Champion. This is also the first major major title I've held in my career." She gave the belt that hung around her waist a pat before walking around the ring. "This is supposed to be some kind of celebration, but I don't really see the point in me standing in the ring by myself just talking. Like, not even my sisters are here, and that's weird to me. But I suppose now is as good a time as any to spring some news on you all, both roster and WWE Universe. I, Casey Bella, am-"_

_**"I hear voices in my head-"**_The first line of The Viper's theme was all The Shield had to hear before they left their locker room and sprinted to the ring.

_Casey didn't have a clue what to do. There was no way she could escape Randy, and he knew it. That smirk on his face gave her chills, and she could see in his eyes that he was really only there to hurt her._

_"Casey, I do hope that you're here to tell the whole world that we're together."_

_"Randy, we've been broken up for over a year. There is no us, and there never will be an us, because I've moved on. I'm actually here to announce that I'm joining-" She never got to get out what she wanted to say, because she fell victim to an RKO just as The Shield got to the ring area._

_"Check on her, we'll handle him." Reigns called and Ambrose slid into the ring as her sisters made their way down the ramp, still in their gear, and slid in the ring while Rollins and Reigns beat down Randy and Ambrose tried getting Casey to respond._

_"Get her out of here, we're gonna powerbomb Orton." Ambrose told the Bellas and they nodded before he slipped out of the ring to assist in the beat down. Randy was on the ground already, Seth and Roman stepped back to give Ambrose a shot at the man who attacked his girlfriend. "We're going to bring him up, and we're going to slam him back down, boys." He informed, looking up to see that all three Bellas were midway up the ramp and that the trainers were coming from backstage to assist as he, Rollins, and Reigns rolled Orton into the ring. Reigns roared as Ambrose and Rollins held up the six-foot-five, two hundred and forty five pound, psychopath before lifting him onto Reigns' shoulders before assisting in forcing him down to the mat._

_"Think about what just happened to you, the next time you even consider __**looking**__ at my girl." Ambrose stated, squatting beside Orton's limp- and most likely unconscious- form, before he stood and pressed his fist to Reign's fist, which was pressed to Rollins. The symbol of unity for The Hounds of Justice as their theme blared through the arena._

* * *

Once The Shield made it back through the audience, Dean rushed to the trainer's room, Seth and Roman following close behind. Nikki and Brie were outside the room, demanding answers from Triple H.

"Ladies, I can assure you that I had no idea that she would get hurt. This was supposed to be celebrating her making history, and Orton certainly ruined that celebration. I understand your aggravations, but The Shield took good care of Orton, as you both saw. I extend my apologies, but there's nothing that I can really do but hope that she didn't get too hurt." Dean scoffed at the COO's lack of care and obvious disregard for what just happened as he entered the trainer's room, discarding his vest as he crossed to the table that she was laying on.

"How is she, Doc?" He asked softly, looking up from his unconscious girlfriend to Dr. Sampson.

"She's alive, obviously. Unfortunately, I won't be able to know for sure what her condition is until she comes to." Dean only nodded, looking back down at Casey and gently pushing her hair back as Sampson busied himself with other things.

"You've always looked best with your hair out of your face." He murmured softly, bringing his hand down to cup her cheek.

"You're crazy, but okay." She mumbled with a small smile, opening her eyes to look up into his baby blues. "What happened?"

"You got RKOed. Then Seth, Roman, and I kicked his ass, mainly Seth and Roman, and then we triple powerbombed him."

"How long have I been out?"

"Like, five to ten minutes." Nikki said as she and Brie entered the room and Sampson came over to check for a concussion. Once she was cleared and said to be alright, Dean scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the Diva's locker room.

"My legs work." She stated and she shrugged.

"Good for you. Not all people are blessed with legs that work."

"Such an ass." She said as she playfully smacked his shoulder and he smirked.

"You love it."

"That's what you think."

"It's what I know."


	13. Pleasant Surprise

When she collapsed into her inviting bed, she couldn't help but sigh, fully content and at ease. She had gotten the rest of the week off because of Randy's actions, something that made her/_very_ happy. But a bit upset at being away from Dean, Wade, Brad, Ted, and her sisters for the next six days. She wasn't sure if she and Dean could still go to dinner, because he was still on the road and she was at home in Tampa. Her phone vibrated in her hand and she checked the text from Dean.

_'__**Did you get home alright?' **__She smiled into the down comforter as she replied with a simple answer._

_'Yep.'_

_'__**Cool. What are you wearing? ;)'**_

_'Omg you're such an ass. Haha'_

_**'Please?'**_

_'I'm wearing the exact same clothes as when I was in the airport.'_

_'__**You promised to show me what underwear you were wearing, and you never did. :('**_

_"_Yes, I did." She argued aloud, and instead of replying, she called him and put her phone on speaker before letting it drop

_"Hey babe."_

"I did too show you what underwear I was wearing today."

_"Maybe I wanted another look? I have needs, Casey." _She could hear the smirk in his tone.

"You do? I never would've guessed." She gasped in mock shock as she stood and stripped down to her underwear and gave her hips a wiggle in front of the mirror on her closet door.

_"Yes, sweetheart, I have needs. You, being one of them. A more comfortable bed would be another one. You in said comfortable bed with would be awesome. Naked."_

"Where do you suppose I find that comfortable bed, Mr. Ambrose?" She asked, curious to hear his response.

_"Your apartment, which I happen to be standing at the door of."_ Her eyes widened as she pulled on her black fleece pajama pants that had the Batman symbol all over.

"No way."

_"Not lying. It's pretty cold out here, so can you let me in?"_

"Doors unlocked." She said as she pulled black camisole over her head and headed to meet him when she heard the front door open.

"Have I ever told you how nice your apartment is?" He asked and she shrugged as he pulled her into a kiss. "I know that you weren't expecting to see me until tomorrow night, but I have until Thursday off, so I thought I'd spend my days off with my lady." He mumbled against her lips and she smiled.

"That's so sweet of you, Dean." She said just before pressing her lips to his a second time, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting the warmth of his body consume her as his tongue slipped through her parted lips and began the battle for dominance with her tongue. It was a short battle, and Dean claimed his prize eagerly before pulling away, resting his forehead on hers.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. Awesome, actually."

"Good to hear. I was worried about you, kitten." Kitten? That was a new one coming from him, but she liked it.

"I'm a tough bitch, Dean." She argued, pulling away from him to roll his suitcase into her bedroom.

"I never said that you weren't, Casey, and that doesn't stop me from worrying about you." He defended, taking his suitcase from her hand and filling it with his own as they walked to her bedroom. "What were you going to say before...y'know?"

"I was going to say that I wanted to join The Shield." She stated simply, as if it were no big deal, which earned a raised eyebrow from her boyfriend as she dropped onto her bed with a little _plop_.

"You're sure?" He asked, pushing his suitcase into her closet and doing the same with her suitcase that she'd left standing in the middle of the room.

"I'm positive."

"Being in The Shield will change how _everyone_ looks at you. You can't back out just because you start getting booed."

"Why would I want to do that? I love being hated." She said with a grin as she stood and he picked her up like Ryback does to shell shock people. "Put me down!"

"Nope." Instead, he continued to march in a little circle around her bedroom. "Have you ever wondered why Ryback marches before he does the shell shock?"

"I can safely say that I've never thought about that, or Ryback, for that matter. I don't even talk to Ryback, and I don't think I'd want to these days because word is getting out that we're together and I heard that he's still pissed over Survivor Series and TLC."

"Makes sense."

"Can you put me down now?"

"Nope."

"Dean!" He only chuckled and carried her out of the bedroom, marching around the whole apartment twice before he dropped her on the couch and laid on top of her.

"That was such a workout. I think my legs are sore." He groaned, leaning back and stretching across her body while she giggled.

"Oh my god, Dean, get off."

"I'm really tired, babe, I dunno if I can." He teased, but sitting up so she could get up before he laid back down on the couch with her in his arms. She rest her head on his chest, draping her arm across his stomach as his hand stayed on her lower back. "Comfortable?"

"Very." He slid his hand down cup her ass and he smirked.

"How about now?"

"I think I'm more comfortable than I was before." He chuckled and gave a gentle pat before putting his hand back on her lower back.

_I don't think I've ever had this much fun with a woman without having sex._ He thought to himself, looking down at the woman in his arms with a small smile.

"Hey Dean?"

"Yeah, Casey?"

"Can we go to the beach tomorrow?"

"We'll do whatever you want to do, babe."

"I just wanna go to the beach, and go to dinner."

"That'll happen." He assured and she smiled against his chest. "Are you falling asleep on me?"

"I might be."

"Let's get to bed, then." He suggested, to which she groaned and rolled off of him into a standing position and he allowed her to pull him to her bedroom. She got comfortable in the bed and watched with a smirk as he stripped down to his briefs and bent over to dig through his suitcase.

"You have such a nice ass." She praised and he smirked to himself as he slipped into pajama pants and tied the drawstring on his way to the bed.

"My ass may be great, but yours is way better." He stated as he climbed into bed behind her and pulled her back to his chest. "G'night, Casey." He murmured, tucking his right arm beneath the pillow and holding her to him with his left.

"Night, Dean." He felt her place her arm over his and intertwine their fingers as began to drift off with a small smile on his face.


	14. Alone Together

She woke up face to face with him, only he was still asleep. He looked so innocent while he slept. His sandy blonde curls hung in his face somewhat messily and his mouth was open slightly. He didn't look anything like the Dean Ambrose in the ring, he most likely wasn't the snarky, smirking, asshole until he was more awake.

"Stop staring at me." He mumbled and she blushed as he opened one eye to look into hers.

"I'm sorry, you're quite the cutie while you're sleeping."

"Am I?" He asked with a smirk and she nodded as he rolled onto his back to stretch. "That's good to know. What's for breakfast?"

"I don't think I have any food here."

"We can go out, it's not a big deal. There's that place by the beach, we could pick up breakfast and then head straight down to the beach?" He suggested and she nodded.

"Sounds like a plan. You can have the shower first." She told him, but he pulled her out of bed with him and carried her to the bathroom.

"I'd prefer showering with you." She felt her cheeks heat up as he set her down on the bathroom counter before playing with the shower knobs.

* * *

"You can't stay in a tshirt at the beach, babe." Dean chided, looking down at Casey who sat on the blanket, looking up at him. "I took my shirt off, and my chest is bruised because of Sheamus and Big Show, and my back is covered in scratches courtesy of you."

"Yeah, but you have a hot body so it's not like it matters if it's beaten up." She muttered, looking down at her feet.

"And you don't?"

"I'm so skinny, Dean." He sighed and sat across from her on the blanket, removing her sunglasses from her face and wiping the stray tear from her eye while she tried to avoid eye contact.

"Look at me, Case. You're lean, not skinny, and you're muscular. You take care of your body, it's not like you starve yourself or have some kind of bullshit eating disorder. You act like you're a fucking skeleton or some shit like that. I've seen some skinny bitches in my lifetime, like their pelvic bones stuck out, no ass, and everything like that. You've got the perfect figure, Casey Bella. Are you going to take your shirt off, or do I have to take it off for you?"

"I'd prefer it if you took it off."

"I bet you would." He murmured, kissing her softly and pulling her shirt up. They separated when a woman walking by with her kids cleared her throat and Casey blushed while Dean grinned.

"Nice day we're havin', huh?" He asked, looking up at the woman with a smirk as she pulled her kids along.

"You're such an ass."

"It's too much fun." He admitted with a grin, pulling her shirt off of her head. "Let's go get in the water, beautiful."

"I have to take off my shorts, first." She said and he unbuttoned them for her, pulling them down her legs and tossing them in their bag before he stood, picking up Casey and throwing her over his shoulder as he made his way towards the water.

* * *

"I know it's not all that classy, but it's semi there." He stated as they walked into Olive Garden and she smiled.

"It's perfect." She assured as they were led to a table and he shrugged. "I love their breadsticks."

"Me too. So for your birthday you got your first WrestleMania, a boyfriend, the first ever Diva's Intercontinental Title, and a romantic dinner at Olive Garden."

"I thought we weren't counting you being my boyfriend because it was cheesy?"

"Whatever." He chuckled and she smiled at him. "I probably could've gotten something else for you, but I didn't know it was your birthday until I glanced at your license because it was just sitting on the nightstand, and-"

"Dean, you didn't have to get me anything. Just getting to spend time with you is enough for me." She assured with a smile, picking up her menu. "The shrimp alfredo sounds good."

"I was going to get that."

* * *

"I had a lot of fun today, Dean." She mumbled before yawning and he grinned as he drove back to her apartment.

"We did a lot today, huh? Hopefully you're not too terribly tired, kitten." He said with a smirk, looking over at her and resting his hand on her upper thigh.

"Never too tired for you, Dean." She murmured, leaning over and kissing his neck.

"Baby, you're asking for it."

"Asking for what?" She asked, feigning innocence and pressing her lips to his cheek. "What am I asking for, Dean?"

"The more feral side of me. I can be a real animal, baby."

"You and I both know that I can be, too, so what's the big deal?"

"You have an excellent point."

"I know." She purred, sitting back down in her seat and he tried to control his urge to pull over and take her in the backseat.

* * *

**Author's Note: Probably the shittiest chapter of this whole story so far. I had no inspiration and this was just a filler chapter, but ugh. Casey goes back to work in the next chapter because for some reason it's easier to write the drama between Randy and Casey and the matches than it is to write a day full of fluff. **


	15. Can It Get Any Worse?

"How've you been, sweetheart?" Ted greeted with a smile, pulling Casey into a hug.

"I've been good. That week was probably some of the best time off I've ever had. How have things been without me?" She asked as they separated and started to walk down the hall.

"Boring as hell. You and Dean have a match tonight."

"Yeah, against Randy and Kaitlyn. I'm not excited."

"No?"

"No." She sighed, looking up and down the hall before pulling him down to her level by his collar. "I've been having the nightmares again, Ted. When Dean was with me, I was fine, but then he left and they started and I'm freaking out."

"Shit, Case. Does he know?"

"No! I don't know how to bring that up. We've been so happy, Ted. How do you even bring that up in conversation?" She asked and he shrugged.

"How the hell should I know?" He asked and she groaned.

"I'm so fucked."

"You should go to the office." He stated, making sure to be vague. They both knew what he meant, and she shook her head.

"I just need to give it time."

"Case..." Ted trailed off when they saw Randy talking to Dean down the hall. "That can't be good."

"I'm going to go in here." Casey stated, opening the door that had her last name printed on a piece of paper and Ted nodded. "I wasn't with you." He nodded a second time and she slipped inside and shut the door. Her sisters weren't there, but their suitcases were and Casey took this that moment to sit down and take a breath. She saw that Nikki pulled out her gear for her and started to get changed when a knock sounded on the door before it opened.

"Casey?" Dean called into the room and she sighed.

"I'm in here. What's up?"

"You didn't say you were naked."

"You act like you've never seen me naked." She stated as she slid into the bottoms and he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but- never mind. I need to ask you something." She put on her top and sat down beside him, putting on a fresh pair of socks and her leg wear.

"Uh, sure?"

"Randy caught up to me and told me some things and I wanted to check their validity, if that's okay?" He asked and she nodded, tying her red Nike's and pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Tell me everything he said and I'll tell you after what's true and not true." He nodded and she looked straight ahead, something that concerned him because he couldn't see her eyes, thanks to her hair, and that meant he wouldn't be able to read her.

"He said that you had to go to therapy during your hiatus because of a suicide attempt after you guys broke up. He said that you're a freak in the bed, which I already know and love, and that you dealt in prescription drugs-"

"He what!?" She shouted, hopping from the bench and pacing.

"The rest of that is fucking true, but he had to force his problems on me!? I wasn't even dating him then! That fucker! I never abused prescription drugs! I can't even take a vitamin without wanting to throw up! Tell me you didn't believe that shit, Dean."

"That part, I couldn't believe. But I need to know something else, Casey."

"What could you possibly want to know now?" She asked and he sighed.

"Are you better, mentally? Like, if we break up, are you going to-"

"What, you think that I'm going to off myself just because you want to break up!? the fact that you would even have to ask, offends me, but I'll elaborate. I didn't try because I dumped him, I tried because of all the harassment that followed. You try being called day in and day out, getting texts calling you a whore and a worthless cunt? I did it because I couldn't take that shit anymore. So yes, Dean, I'm 'better'!" She air quoted before grabbing her Intercontinental Title and storming out of the room and Dean held his head in his hands.

"What did you do now!?" The twins asked as they entered their locker room ten minutes later, in matching dresses. He was exactly where he was when Casey left, and now her older sisters were pissed off at him, too.

"We know what you did, actually." Nikki started and Brie finished. "Obviously she's 'better' as you put it, but now she's fucking pissed and in tears."

"Where is she?" Dean asked and the two rolled their eyes.

"You'll see her tonight. In your match. Right now, she needs to think, and you need to work on your apology."

"Right."

"Now get out." He nodded and complied, heading to his locker room and meeting up with the guys.

"DiBiase was here looking for you." Roman informed to which the sandy blonde ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "He looked pretty pissed."

"Yeah, I can imagine why."

"What did you do?" Seth asked and Dean stayed silent as he taped his wrists. "If you fucked up her joining us, when she was two words away last Monday, I swear to God, Ambrose-"

"I won't know until I talk to her, and her sisters told me to leave her alone until our match and come up with a damn good apology."

"Yeah, you better." Roman said simply, and Dean got the message.

* * *

Meanwhile, Casey was in Wade's arms crying into his neck while Brad paced and Ted sat in the steel chair.

"I'll kill him. I swear to god, he has once shot to get near me." Brad stated and Ted scoffed.

"What the hell are you going to do? I'm more than certain the Cincinnati street tough, who was basically king of the indies, can decimate you." Ted stated and Brad rolled his eyes.

"That's what you think, I grew up in South Carolina. A bit more hardcore than Ohio."

"Where in South Carolina?"

"Tega Cay." Brad said, haughtily, arms crossed as he stared down DiBiase.

"Where the fuck on the map is Tega Cay?" Casey asked, picking up Wade's phone and Brad stared at her open mouthed as she pulled up a map.

"It's by Lake Wylie." Brad informed and the other three in the room stared at him. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Preston."

"Scottsdale."

"Baton Rouge."

"At least we're all from places that have been heard of." Casey argued and Brad scoffed.

"Glad to see that you've recovered." He muttered and she rolled her eyes as she stood and handed Wade his phone back.

"I haven't. But it's okay. I'll be okay. Because we got to verbally abuse you. And I don't think Tega Cay compares to Cincinnati in terms of hardcore."

"I don't think it comes close." Ted agreed and the two high fived.

"I've got to get to gorilla. I'll catch up with you guys after I change."

"Yes, you will." Wade said as he wiped away her stray tears and Ted fastened her belt around her waist.

"I bet I look like a total mess, huh?" She asked and the men shook their heads.

"You're beautiful." Ted murmured and she shook her head.

"Go kick ass, we'll be here." Brad said as he pat her back and she nodded as she left and headed down the halls. Dean, Seth, and Roman walked passed and all three looked at her apologetically, but she paid no mind. She had to put herself in 'stuck up Bella' mode to be able to walk by without making eye contact.

"You okay?" Nikki and Brie asked once she got to gorilla and she nodded.

"Yes, Casey, the last thing we need is for you to go into this match _distracted_." Randy butt in and she flipped him off.

"I'm fine." She assured everybody in gorilla as Randy's theme played and he dragged Kaitlyn out with him. "I love being the only important champ in the match. I get my own entrance." She and her sisters laughed and shared a three way high five when Vickie Guerrero walked up.

"I'm sorry, you three must not have gotten my message, you two, and the other two members of The Shield are banned from ringside." She then cackled at the stunned faces of the triplets as she walked off and they all exchanged a glance.

"Fuck." The three said in unison, exchanging worried glances.


	16. Snapped

_"And their opponents: introducing first; representing The Shield. From Cincinnati, Ohio, weighing two hundred and twenty five pounds, Dean Ambrose!"_

_The Shield member made his way through the crowd slowly, unsure of how this match was going to go. No Shield and no Bellas, meaning that he and Casey were going to have to work as a cohesive unit, something that he wasn't sure was possible at this moment in time. He took his time getting into the ring, something that pleased Orton._

_"What's the matter, Ambrose?" Dean only shook his head and leaned in the corner as The Bella theme started and Casey made her way out._

_"And his partner; from Scottsdale, Arizona, she is the Diva's Intercontinental Champion, Casey Bella!" She vaulted into the ring and took her belt off, hopping onto the second rope and holding her belt up before dropping back down and looking up at Dean as she handed her belt to a crew member and he stepped onto the apron, seeing Kaitlyn opt to start against Casey as the bell rang._

_The two women circled each other, trying to figure out their first move. They locked up, Kaitlyn gaining the upper hand and managing to slam Casey to the mat. Casey used her flexibility to her advantage and managed to lock her legs around the two toned woman's neck, pulling Kaitlyn to the mat and gaining leverage._

_"What do you say, Kaitlyn?" The ref asked Kaitlyn shook her head._

_"Ask her again, ref!" Casey shouted, tightening the grip her legs had as Kaitlyn begun to inch her way to the ropes. Due to the ref's attention being on the Divas in the ring, Orton hopped off the apron and reached for Kaitlyn's ankles, dragging her to the ropes before running back as the ref forced the hold to break._

_Casey stood and pushed her hair back, looking at the Texan who was now standing before running and clotheslining her. She did it a second time, sending the Diva's champ into the ropes. She ran to the ropes, intent on using the momentum to ram her knee into Kaitlyn's face, but instead ran into a spear, leaving both women laying in the center of the ring, both out of sorts._

_"Come on, Casey!" Dean shouted, trying to get the Bella to snap out of her daze as she begun to come to. Both women leapt into the tag, the two fresh men, bursting into the ring. Unfortunately for Dean, he ran right into a clothesline courtesy of The Viper. And another one, once he was standing again. Randy was being ruthless, and Casey saw it in his eyes. Dean rolled out of the ring in an attempt to stop the assault and for some time to regroup, but Randy was right behind him. By the he had rammed Dean into the steps, into the ring post, and into the announce table, the ref had already reached a count of seven. Neither man cared, but for different reasons. Orton was punishing Ambrose, and Ambrose didn't have a clue where he was anymore._

_Ambrose was then made victim to a DDT off of the barricade and onto the hard rubber floor as the ref hit ten and Kaitlyn left the ring area, Casey didn't. She couldn't, because she was why Randy was now taking apart the announce table. She hopped off of the apron and knelt beside her boyfriend, cupping his cheek. He held her hand in his, gently caressing the back until she pulled back to stand in front of him, blocking him from Randy._

_"Stop!" She pleaded with him and Randy only rose an eyebrow before picking up the Bella by her sides and moving her out of his way to Ambrose. She watched, helplessly as Randy dragged Dean by his vest to the announce table and threw him onto it before climbing on. She covered her mouth and looked away as Randy RKOed Dean through the announce table before all the refs pulled him away and she knelt beside Dean again. He was unconscious, this time, though, and she felt the guilt set in as refs pulled her back so that they could bring in the stretcher and it wasn't long before her sisters were flanking her and guiding her up the ramp to their locker room._

* * *

"Change first, then go check on him. That way you'll be out of the doctor's way for a certain amount of time so they can do their job." Brie reasoned and Casey nodded, keeping silent as she changed into jeans and the Bengals tshirt that she was wearing when she arrived at the arena an hour and a half ago with her black classic vans before closing up her suitcase and heading to the trainers office. She expected to see Rollins and Reigns in there with Dean, but was surprised when he was alone in the room with Dr. Sampson looking over him.

"He hasn't regained consciousness, but he's alive." Sampson informed and she nodded, walking up on the other side of the exam table and pushing his hair out of his face. "If he doesn't regain consciousness within the hour, we're moving him to the hospital." She nodded again and Sampson left her to head back out to the ring area. She pulled the tall office like chair up to the exam table and took it upon herself to remove the tape from his wrists before holding his left hand in both of hers.

"I don't know if you can hear me right now, Dean, but I hope you can. I'm sorry for flipping out earlier tonight, I'm sorry that Randy did this to you, and I'm sorry that this happened. I really need you to wake up, because the last thing I need is you hospitalized because of me, y'know? We have a lot of things to talk about, I have a lot of things that I need to tell you about me, and I can't tell you all of those things if you're in some kind of coma because of my psychopath ex boyfriend." She then kissed his knuckles and sat there waiting for him to wake up.


	17. He's Okay

He had been moved to the local hospital and she stayed with him the whole time. Everyone thought that it was guilt, but she was staying by his side because she was his girlfriend and that was her job. She wanted to be the first person he saw when he finally woke up and that's what led her to where she was. The vending machines down the hall from his room. She wasn't proud of her current diet of potato chips and diet soda, but she wasn't leaving the floor that he was on to get real food.

"You're Casey Bella." A little boy stated, coming up to stand beside her and she smiled down at him.

"Yeah, that's me. What's your name?"

"Thomas.

"That's a cool name. Like the train?" She asked and the boy nodded eagerly.

"Yeah! He's my favorite."

"I can see." She gestured to his pajamas and he nodded.

"Is Dean Ambrose okay?" He asked and she shook her head.

"We don't know yet. That's why I'm here."

"Is he your friend?"

"My best friend."

"Can you give him this? I drew it during RAW after Randy beat him up." He handed her a folded up piece of paper and she nodded.

"I most certainly can." He hugged her legs and she pat his head.

"Thomas! Where did you go!?" A woman called and Thomas looked up at Casey.

"That's my mommy, I gotta go."

"Bye, Thomas."

"Bye, Casey." He called as he ran off and she grabbed her Diet Dr. Pepper and made her way back to Dean's room. She sat back down in her chair and rubbed her arms.

"Why are hospitals so cold?" She asked herself as he groaned and she looked up at him. "Dean?"

"Casey?" He asked, voice raspy, and she smiled.

"Yeah, babe, I'm here."

"Where the fuck am I?" He asked, attempting to sit up, but she pushed him back down.

"A hospital in Oklahoma City. Don't stress yourself, Dean."

"How long have I been out?"

"Twenty six hours." She mumbled and he rose an eyebrow.

"I didn't catch that, sweetheart."

"Twenty six hours." She stated, a bit louder, and his eyes widened.

"How long?"

"I'm not repeating myself, Dean."

"I'm going to kill Orton."

"You're not going to do shit. Not until you get checked out by a doctor and we talk."

"We do need to talk." He agreed and she nodded. "Because I have to apologize."

"You have to what?" She asked, looking at him as if he were nuts. "My ex put you in a fucking coma because of me, and you owe _me_ the apology?" She asked as the doctor came in to check on Dean.

"Oh, Mr. Ambrose, you're awake. Good to see. How are you feeling?" The doctor, who was an older fellow, asked and Dean sighed.

"My head hurts like hell, but other than that I'm fine. Can I get out of here, soon?"

"You'll be out of here within the hour. We'll prescribe you pain killers that won't go against the WWE wellness policy and you can head out."

"Thanks, doc."

"A nurse will be in with the discharge papers and your prescription and you're free to get dressed." The doctor informed, disconnecting Dean from the monitors before leaving.

"And to answer your question, Casey, I do owe you an apology. I was out of line twenty seven hours ago and I owe you an apology. I don't blame you for what Randy did. If I did, I'd be an asshole. Do you have clothes for me?"

"I have your suitcase. Seth and Roman dropped it off on their way to the airport."

"Amazing, they can drop my shit off, but they can't help me?"

"The door knob was rigged. Nobody could get in, and they couldn't get out. They had to remove the door to get them out. Don't be upset with them." She explained, opening his suitcase and pulling out a pair of jeans.

"I'm in a fucking gown? How did I not notice this?" He asked himself and she smiled to herself. "At least they left my underwear on. Thanks, Casey." He thanked as she handed him his jeans.

"Oh, some kid at the vending machine asked me to give you this." She handed him the paper from her pocket and he sat back down on the bed to read it.

"Thomas wants us to get married, and he hopes I come back and beat up Orton." He informed and she smiled, tossing his briefs to him.

"He seemed like a sweet kid." She mused and Dean smiled as he slid into his jeans.

"Can you untie this?" She nodded and turned to do as he requested, catching sight of some of the scars that littered his back. "I know, its not the prettiest sight in the world." He mumbled, turning around and discarding the gown.

"It a show of how far you've come, Dean. They're a part of you, which means that they're just as beautiful as you are." She murmured, cupping his cheeks and pulling him down for a kiss.

"I would've preferred handsome, but whatever." He spoke with a smirk, his lips brushing against hers with every syllable he uttered.

"Such an ass." She whispered against his lips and he grinned, pressing his lips to hers once more, and her hands slid up his chest to wrap around her neck while his arms wrapped tight around her waist. They broke apart, hearing a squeal from the door.

"Oh...my god. You two _are_ together!" A nurse, who they assumed was there to discharge Dean, shouted and the couple nodded as they released each other and she entered the room.

"Babe, can you get me a shirt while I sign this?"

"Of course." He gave her ass a gentle pat and she shook her head as the nurse told him about his prescription. She pulled out a Cincinnati Reds tshirt and zipped up his suitcase, pulling it down to sit on the floor beside hers.

"I'm free to go."

"Put on your shirt, first. I don't need other women staring at what's mine." She teased, tossing the shirt at his head and sitting beside him on the bed as he pulled it on. "I'm really glad that you're okay." She said softly, leaning her head on his shoulder and he held her hand in his, giving a gentle squeeze.

"Me too, kitten."


	18. Let's Talk

They both knew that they had to talk about the events on that particular Monday evening, more particularly the conversation they had before the match with Randy, but somehow they had managed to avoid it for a grand total of two months, and they've been happy. Everybody noticed that Casey had a skip in her step and a renewed vigor in the ring, and nobody could deny that it was something to do with Dean. They had started rooming and traveling together, she had started working out with The Shield and the trio had started making appearances during her matches, not interfering, just observing. Everybody had made their own speculations, but Dean had told her that it was for her safety. Now that The Shield had won their titles, they were a bit more intimidating, and they loved it.

Casey was still the reigning Diva's Intercontinental Champion, and even got herself in the hunt for the Diva's Championship and had a triple threat match against AJ Lee and Kaitlyn at Payback for the title. But she lost by getting stuck in the Black Widow and having to tap. But she was still Intercontinental Champ and planned on remaining such, even though Layla was on her ass for the title and would be getting her shot at Money in the Bank, but she and her sisters were doing a good job of humiliating the Brit who was once a close friend. They'd done a lot of match interrupting, and Casey even impersonated the Brit, awfully done accent and all, something that Dean got a kick out of backstage with Wade and Brad.

Yes, she had even gotten him to interact with her friends outside of work. They all got along well, Dean shared personality traits with all three of them, and Casey couldn't have been happier with her life. She and Dean didn't have to have that discussion that they'd been putting off, because they were happier without it.

* * *

"Babe, Bengals or Cardinals?" She asked and he looked at her with a raised eyebrow from where he sat on the couch in their hotel room.

"You have to ask?" He countered and she smiled. "If I got my option, you wouldn't wear a shirt. Or any clothes, for that matter."

"You want me to walk around, in public, naked? Mr. Ambrose, I'm certain that you're more territorial."

"True." He conceded with a smirk. "I didn't think that one through. Come here." She complied, straddling his lap and wrapping her arms loosely around his neck.

"What's up?" She asked and he shrugged.

"We need to have a certain conversation that we've been putting off. I want to do this as calmly as we possibly can, because I don't think I can handle another possible breakup between us."

"We do need to have that conversation, but I don't know how to go about it, Dean." She spoke softly, sliding out of his lap so that she sat beside him and he looked over at her. "Just thinking about it gets me all...confused."

"Confused?"

"I'm like, emotionally retarded because of him, Dean. Because of all the shit he put me through. There are some things a year of therapy can't fix."

"You went through a year of therapy?" He asked and she nodded.

"Twice a week. He made me talk about everything from my childhood to how I felt about the sex with Randy. I can imagine that neither were that interesting."

"I thought he'd be a kinky bastard." Dean admitted with a chuckle.

"He was, until he forgot our safe word and I stopped having sex with him because I didn't feel safe."

"Is that why whenever I suggest something moderately kinky, you hesitate?"

"Yeah."

"We'll get back to that point later. Let's start with when you guys broke up. What happened?"

"I was fine until he started harassing me. Texts, phone calls, he'd stalk me, it was pretty bad. I started having nightmares and would only share a room with Wade because I knew he'd protect me if Randy were to get into the hotel room and try to do something. Eventually I was home on injury leave because of an old ankle injury resurfacing and he would not stop trying to call or text me so I looked at my bottle of painkillers and chugged it, but I called 911 a minute later, begging for an ambulance because I needed my stomach pumped. WWE said that I needed time to 'get my shit together'- direct quote from Hunter-, suspended Randy for my harassment, I changed my number and WWE even paid for four hours a week of me telling some over paid prick how I felt until he felt I was ready to go back into the ring." By this time she was leaning into his side, and he had his arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm, while his other hand held hers tightly in his.

"Take your time, babe, we've got all day and I'm not leaving you." He assured and she nodded, taking a deep breath.

"I'm sane, y'know? I can promise you that I would never try to take my life again, because I was too afraid to die beforehand. No matter how bad our breakup is, god forbid that happen, I wouldn't try to take me life over it."

"That's all I need to know, babe. But I don't think I could break up with you."

"That's good to hear."


	19. Title Hunt

She lost the title. It was all she could think about. She. Lost. The. Title. It had been weeks, and she still couldn't understand it. Who the hell did Kaitlyn think she was? Just because she lost _her_ rematch for the Diva's title, that she could just let Layla glide into the title holder's place. That just wasn't going to slide. No. No. No.

**No.**

She didn't really speak to anybody after that match, she just sunk herself into figuring out what she needed to do to get either her belt back, or the Diva's Championship. It was one or the other, and she wanted the Diva's Championship. But, she'd occupy her time playing mind games with not only AJ Lee, but Layla and Kaitlyn, as well, so that way it wouldn't be absolutely certain who she'd go after. She was going to be in a match with AJ or Layla at Night of Champions in September. She had no choice but to be.

"You don't need a title to be great, babe." He said as they drove from the airport to their hotel.

"Says the man who didn't feel like he had made it in the world until he had the US Title around his waist?" She countered and he nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on the road.

"I deserved that."

"And now you guys are playing puppets for the authority, namely, Randy?" She asked, looking over at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't like it, babe. Trust me, I don't. But what the authority wants, they get. I don't know if you've recognized who signs our paychecks, but I wouldn't say 'no' to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon." He spoke slowly, carefully, trying to ease whatever tension was in her body. "But, rumor on the street is that you're being named number one contender for the big belt."

"Where'd you hear that?"

"A little bird told me. But I was thinking, you win the belt at Night of Champions. Seth, Roman, and I come down and we make out in the middle of the ring, let the whole world know who the real power couple of the WWE is."

"You, Seth, and Roman are gonna make out in the middle of the ring?" She asked teasingly and he grinned.

"Fuck you."

"I bet you'd like to."

"I'm going to, tonight."

"Who says?" She asked and he shrugged.

"I do." He smirked and she rolled her eyes playfully.

* * *

"Who does Ziggler think he is!?" Dean shouted when he entered The Shield locker room where she waited for him. Seth and Roman had already collected their things and left for the hotel, informing her that Dean took a walk to calm his nerves before getting his things.

"Babe, you act like you can't beat him. You can, and you will at Night of Champions." She assured as she stood from her seat on the steel chair and stood in front of him. He could never get enough of their ten inch height difference.

"You think so?"

"I do. Have a bit more faith in yourself. Even if you did lose the title, I still lo-" She stopped short, realizing that she was about to utter the L-word, and he rose an eyebrow. "love your wrestling." She covered, and he seemed to appreciate that answer.

"You sounded like you had to think about it, but I appreciate your support." He murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist and slipping his hands into her back pockets. "Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the jeans that look like they have pockets, but they're not pockets?"

"No, but you don't have to worry about that with me. My pants will never have pretend pockets."

"Thank you, sweetheart, it means a lot to me." He then lifted her up by her hips to kiss her lips and she giggled.

"Go shower so we can go home."

"Home? You see my apartment as a home?"

"Am I not supposed to?"

"No, you can. I wasn't expecting that, though."

"I only have two drawers at your place." She muttered sarcastically, even though he had already gone into the shower and started the water.

_I almost told him I loved him. I can't do that. He has to say it first, that way I know that I'm not alone here._ She thought to herself, looking around the room while she waited for him to get out of the shower.

The drive to his apartment was a quiet one, but not an awkward quiet. She was fast asleep in the passenger's seat, exhausted from her number one contendership match earlier that night and wrapped up in his coat while he drove. He looked over at her periodically, he told himself that he was just checking on her when in all actuality, he just liked watching her sleep. She looked peaceful, and that put him in a state of relaxation. The only real problem was that he didn't want to wake her, but he wasn't sure how to get her up to his apartment and their bags.

"Fuck it," He muttered under his breath as he parked at his apartment complex. "I'll just make two trips." He decided, unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car, making his way around to the passenger's side. He unbuckled her seatbelt and carefully lifted her from the car, frowning when she whined slightly. "Relax, Casey, it's just me." He assured, kicking the door shut and carrying her up the stairs.

Not once had he ever carried a woman up to his apartment. He'd never taken off a woman's shoes so that she could sleep comfortably, there were actually a lot of things that he'd never done for a woman before, that he did for Casey without a second's hesitation. Why was she so special?


	20. Night of Champions

"You love her, man." Roman stated simply and Dean's eyes widened as he laid back on the weight bench.

"I what?"

"Describe Casey for me." Roman stated, looking down at the blonde.

"You know about her."

"Describe her for me, as if I had never met her." He clarified, and Dean thought about it as he begun to lift the bar.

"Well, she's got really pretty brown eyes. Like really pretty. Her hair is brown, too, but like a really dark brown. It's wavy and really soft, I like to play with it when she lets me. She's got a really nice body, you can tell that she takes care of herself, but she always thinks that she's too skinny, but she has a nice ass so it's not like she's stick thin, y'know?"

"Go on."

"She's funny. A lot like me in terms of humor, and she's not just a pretty face with a hot body. She's really smart, and she hates chick flicks, but she really loves Disney movies, but I'll take that over watching The Notebook any day of the week."

"Anything else?" Roman asked as Dean finished his set and the blonde sighed.

"I'm in love with her."

"What was your selling point?" Roman asked as they switched places and Dean shrugged.

"The fact that I could physically describe her without having to look at her."

"Are you gonna tell her?"

"I dunno. She almost said it a couple weeks ago, but I dunno if I want to say it first."

"Did it ever cross your mind that maybe she didn't say it because you didn't say it first? Be the man in this situation." Roman advised and Dean nodded.

"Thanks, man."

"What are brothers for? Now all I have to do is hope that you don't stare at her while you're supposed to be spotting me." Roman joked and Dean shook his head.

"Fuck you."

* * *

"Just relax and remember everything I've taught you." Dean murmured to Casey, who was sporting a new, Shield inspired, color scheme for her ring gear.

"It's hard to relax when your sisters are pissed off because your boyfriend is partially responsible for injuries that happened to her boyfriend." She mumbled and Dean sighed.

"I'm sorry, but are you really going to let that keep you from your first Diva's Championship?"

"No." She mumbled as he pulled her into a hug. He contemplated slamming her with the L-word then, but realized that it probably wasn't the smartest thing to make her overthink something before a big match. So he did the second best option, which was French dipping her before pressing his lips to hers.

"Work your Bella magic, and use everything Roman, Seth, and I have taught you. After tonight, nobody will question where your allegiance lies, and nobody is going to fuck with you." He murmured in her ear once they got to gorilla and she nodded. He gave his cheek a tap and leaned down so she could kiss it with a smile. "Good luck."

"Thank you." She looked at AJ as Dean walked away and the two shared a nod.

"You guys are a cute couple. You certainly did better than your sister."

"Thanks, but I'd prefer it if you didn't talk down about my family." AJ raised her hands in defense as Casey's theme started and the Bella walked out onto the stage.

"_Introducing first: the challenger. From Scottsdale, Arizona, Casey Bella!" Bright smile and all, Casey made her way into the ring._

_"What about that color scheme Casey's sporting? Do you think she's with The Shield?" The King asked, forcing a scoff out of JBL as AJ was announced._

_"Maybe she's showing support for her boyfriend? You're jumping to a conclusion, King. If she was with The Shield, don't you think they'd be at ringside with her?"_ Dean smirked at JBL's comment. Casey didn't need them at ringside to shine like the star that she was.

_The bell rang and the two women just stood there. It was almost as if they were having a silent conversation. Their eyes conveyed everything. AJ gave a nod, and Casey did they same. They both understood that they were going to fight until the very end over that belt, and regardless of whoever won, nothing would change between them. They'd remain neutral towards each other, and whoever lost would lose the right way._

_They began to circle each other, sizing each other up. AJ knew that Casey's right ankle was a weak spot, and Casey knew that AJ could be ruthless, and if she got caught in the Black Widow, there was little to no chance of her coming out of this victorious._

_AJ charged at Casey, but the Bella sidestepped, to which AJ bounced off the ropes and into the receiving end of a drop kick. While the champ was down, Casey locked in a half crab submission hold on her left leg until AJ managed to crawl to the ropes and force the hold to break. Casey stood and took a deep breath, pacing the ring to figure out exactly what to do while AJ recovered. Of course, the Diva's champ abused Casey's distracted state and managed to hop into the Black Widow, but Casey lunged for the ropes, forcing the hold. AJ screamed in frustration, and Casey knelt in the corner, debating whether to spear AJ or jump into a missile drop kick. She decided to spear AJ and then go for the pin, but AJ side stepped and rammed Casey into the ring post by her tights before rolling her up for the pin. Casey reversed into a roll up of her own, but AJ kicked out at two and a half. Casey shook out her shoulder and massaged it lightly as she stood and climbed up to the top rope and hit a missile drop kick before going for the pin and another kick out at two. She knew what would end the match, all she needed was for AJ to stand up. Casey circled the champion as she staggered to her feet and once she did, Casey had her in a headlock, swept AJ's leg out from under her and slammed her to the mat in a headlock driver before rolling the champ over and getting the 1-2-3._

_"Your winner and the new Diva's Champion, Casey Bella!" The crowd erupted into cheers as she accepted the belt and had her arm raised by the ref._

_**"Sierra Hotel India Echo Lima Delta. The Shield."**_

_They crowd looked around in confusion, but Casey just stood in the center of the ring, one arm held her belt on her shoulder and her other was on her hip as The Shield entered the ring and she felt Dean's arms around her waist. He tilted her head back with a smirk and kissed her softly before taking the belt from her hands and fastening it around her waist. Seth and Roman clenched their fists and pressed them together, Dean following suit and all three looked to Casey. She clenched her fist and looked at it before looking at the guys and pressing her fist to Dean's with a smirk, making their message clear to everybody. The Shield had a new member, and she was the new queen bee of the WWE._


	21. Honey Do You Love Me?

Once they had made it backstage, the guys shielded her from any physical contact with anybody and escorted her to her locker room.

"Good luck tonight, guys." She wished and they nodded, Dean pulling Casey into a kiss before they all walked off and she smiled as she carried her championship into the locker room. Everybody in the locker room stared at her, but she just shrugged it off and changed into jeans and a plain black tshirt.

"Can I help you?" She finally asked when they all kept their eyes fixed on her, but nobody spoke up. "If you guys could stop staring at me like you've never seen a champion before, that'd be great." She said as she zipped up her suitcase and left the room, headed for The Shield's locker room. They wouldn't stare at her like she was insane.

"Hey babe, what's up?"

"For some reason everybody in the Diva's locker room was staring at me. Nobody said anything, and I was uncomfortable, so I came here since Wade and Ted aren't here, and Brad is busy running things."

"You're always welcome here, Casey." Seth said, pulling the Diva into a hug and she hugged him back.

"You smell good."

"I certainly hope so." He laughed as he released her and she sat on Dean's lap, watching the match between Fandango and The Miz.

"Are you just going to hang out here during our matches?" Dean asked and she nodded.

"I'm safer in here than I am anywhere else in this arena."

"Yore not going to be alone, though. Since we're not going down together."

"That's good to know."

* * *

"How's it feel?" He asked, massaging her shoulders for her in the locker room, still intently watching Seth and Roman's tag team match against the Prime Time Players.

"I certainly feel better having the gold around my waist." She murmured, leaning back against him and kissing his jaw.

"I was talking about your shoulder, but I'm glad you feel better career wise."

"My shoulder is alright. I wasn't expecting her to move."

"Nobody was. But at least you won." He said, pressing a kiss to her injured left shoulder and she smiled into his neck. "But now the question is do we put you in cargo pants and a tshirt or do we just put The Shield logo on your gear somewhere?"

"We'll figure that out later. We just went public about this like an hour ago. Until we figure it out, I'll just wear a Shield merch shirt to the ring and take it off before I wrestle." She suggested and he nodded.

"Smart woman."

"Mhm."

"From now on, The Shield is at ringside for your matches, since your sisters have abandoned you, it seems." She nodded with a sigh and he frowned. Maybe he shouldn't have brought that up? "Do you not want us ringside?"

"I do. I just hate that they're pissed at me because of what's going on between The Shield and Daniel."

"It doesn't make sense to me, either, but it doesn't matter. They're not going to come between us."

"They're not?" She asked, standing up and turning to face him.

"No." He stated simply, walking around the chair to pull her to his chest. "I won't let anything come between us." She wrapped her arms around him tight, not wanting to let go. "I love you too much to let that happen." He whispered, pressing his face into her hair.

"You love me?" She asked, pulling back a bit and he nodded, smiling as she cupped his cheeks and hopped up onto her tip toes to kiss him softly. "I love you, too, Dean." He grinned and she rest her head on his chest.

* * *

Brie and Daniel invited Casey and Dean to breakfast the following morning, and much to Dean's chagrin, Casey accepted.

"Brie's been cold shouldering you for two weeks, and now that you've got the big belt she wants to spend time with you?" He asked her as he drove to the restaurant Brie told them to meet at and Casey sighed.

"Dean, she's my sister."

"I know that, but don't you find it a little fishy?"

"I do, but I'm not going to just say no to my sister when she hasn't done anything big that deserves alienation just yet." She defended and he looked over at her.

"Just yet?" He repeated, unsure of what she meant.

"That doesn't mean that she won't in the future."

"You don't put it passed her to fuck with you?"

"You don't put anything passed a Bella, Dean. That's something you need to learn." He nodded and she searched out his hand. "I'm not excited about going, because I'm afraid of her talking shit about us the whole time, but I'll go if it means answers for why they've been cold shouldering me." He nodded and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, stroking the back with his thumb.

"I understand. I'll try to keep my temper in check." He said softly as he parked and she looked up at him with a smile.

"Thank you." He kissed her softly and smiled.

"I'll do anything for you."

"Well, let's do this."

* * *

Breakfast had started off fine, albeit with an awkward tension between the two men at the table.

"Brie, I've got to ask. Why have I been made to feel as if I've been exiled from the family?" If Brie had been drinking something, she would've spit it out.

"What?"

"You and Nikki have been cold shouldering me since this whole Daniel versus The Authority thing started."

"Well maybe if your boyfriend wasn't kissing ass for The Authority and beating him down on a bi weekly basis?" Brie argued and Casey sighed.

"You know what, Brie? That's fine." Casey muttered, leaning back in her seat.

"Well, this is the biggest bust in history. Brie, you were supposed to ask them to back off, not piss off your sister." Daniel whined and Dean stood up, dropped a ten on the table for their drinks.

"It's a good thing we didn't order food yet, huh, Case?" He asked and she nodded, standing up with him and walking out without a word to her sister.

"Thank you." She murmured and he looked down at her as they got to their rental.

"For getting you out of there?"

"For buying the drinks." He chuckled and kissed her softly.

"Isn't that my job as the man?"

* * *

**We are officially twenty one chapters deep in this story, and I know people are reading it, but it'd be really nice to get more reviews because I really really really like getting feedback from others. It can be a review or a PM, I don't really care. I just want your opinions. **


	22. Nipples

"Babe, what do you want for Christmas?" She asked once he finally woke up and left his bedroom and he shrugged, mussing up his hair as he scratched the back of his head.

"I already have a beautiful girlfriend and quite a bit of booze in my apartment, so I dunno." She rose an eyebrow and he looked at her as he flopped onto the couch, laying his head in her lap. "What? I'm a complicated man with simple wants and needs."

"Nothing, nothing. Do you have any plans for Christmas?"

"I was hoping to spend it with you?" He stated in a more questioning tone. "Did you have other plans?"

"My mom wants to meet you, and every year my sisters and I go to Scottsdale and we spend a few days with my mom, decorate the Christmas tree together, stuff like that."

"I'm not a 'meet the parents' kind of guy, kitten. But I'll go." He added when he saw her smile begin to deflate.

"Thank you." He smiled as she began to run her fingers through his hair and he reached for her other hand as he focused on whatever she was watching. It didn't seem interesting at all so he decided to grab her attention with something that _did_ interest him.

"Can you believe that we haven't had sex on my couch yet?" He asked and she looked down at him.

"We haven't?"

"Nope. There was the kitchen counter, my bed, my shower, and I know I fingered you out on the balcony, but never my couch."

"I'm assuming that you want to change that?"

"In time. I'm comfortable right now. Kind of cold, but I'm comfy."

"Go put on a shirt, then. You're nipping, Dean. That's so cute."

"Really? This isn't the first time I've nipped with you around."

"That was arousal nipping, not cold nipping. You have cute nipples." She observed, running a finger along his jawline.

"I've never once been told that I have cute nipples. Now I can cross that off my bucket list."

"That was on your bucket list?"

"No." He laughed, sitting up just as her finger made its way to his chest, earning a pout from the brunette. "Were you going to play with my nipples?" He asked, seeing the pout that he thought was adorable.

"Depends. Were you going to let me?"

"I'd let you do a lot of things, kitten. Come here." He pulled her onto his lap so that she sat sideways against him and she rest her head on his chest. "Do you want to play with my nipples?" He asked and she thought about it, tapping a finger to her chin a couple times before she started to lightly drag her finger around his right nipple.

"Have I ever told you how much I like your pecs? Like, the rest of your body is fabulous, but your pecs are the perfect middle ground."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Like some guys I see shirtless and I'm just like 'god damn, he needs a sports bra' and other guys I'm just like, 'he could definitely have bigger pecs' but I've never thought either when it comes to you."

"I've never thought that about your chest, either." He joked and she giggled.

"And I like that you didn't conform to the wrestling norm and wax your chest."

"Shit looked painful." She nodded with a grimace.

"I hate getting waxed."

"Does it hurt to get waxed down south?" She nodded, temporarily stopping her ministrations with her finger to place her palm flat against his chest.

"Bikini waxes hurt like a bitch." He winced and began to massage her thigh. "I always treat myself to ice cream afterwards."

"I bet you do." He said with a grin, kissing her softly, smirking into the kiss when he felt her hand press against his abs.

"You're like a fucking washboard, now."

"We've been fucking since March, dating since April, it's damn near December, and you're just /now/ noticing that my abs have gotten more defined?"

"I pay more attention to your face, than anything. Your dimples are so cute and your eyes are really pretty."

"Thanks." He was more than used to having his body ogled by women, so he wasn't sure how to take it when she said she paid more attention to his face.

"I'm not saying that I'm not interested in your body, because that's so far from being the case. Have you seen your ass?" He chuckled and nodded in agreement as she continued. "I just really like your eyes and it sounds so bitchy to say the most physically attractive part of your boyfriend is his body, when he has the most gorgeous eyes."

"And my nipples are pretty cute."

"Those nipples are pretty cute." She agreed, pulling him in for a kiss. Without removing his mouth from hers, he managed to lay her down on the couch and hover over her body before they broke for air and he begun the sensational assault on her neck, kissing, licking, biting, and sucking on the flawless skin, fueled by the gasps and moans of approval from the Bella. He pulled her black tank top over her head and tossed it over the back of the couch, smirking when he saw that she wasn't wearing a bra. He gently caressed the sides of her C-cup breasts before cupping them from below and bringing her right nipple into his mouth, nipping and suckling at the bud while his hand kneaded her left, lightly pinching the left bud whenever he nipped the right, then switched and gave her left breast the undivided attention of his mouth. He pulled back and captured her lips in a kiss, untying the drawstring of her pajama pants while their mouths played, and grinning when she had to break the kiss to gasp against his mouth when he began to rub lazy circles around her clit with his index finger.

"Going commando, Miss Bella? That's pretty naughty." He murmured into her ear, voice husky with his own arousal, before nipping her earlobe. He gave his own groan of approval when she slipped her hand down his pajama pants and begun stoking his already rock hard length.

"I'm not the only one going commando, Mr. Ambrose. What do you have to say for your hypocrisy?" He loved it when she smirked. It just looked so right on her face. However, he also loved the look on her face when he plunged two fingers into her sex when she wasn't expecting it. "Fuck." She gasped out, closing her eyes as she continued to pump the hand that was wrapped around his cock at a leisurely pace, while he pumped his fingers in and out of her pussy at a quicker pace.

"One more?" He asked and she nodded, moaning as she felt her walls stretch to accommodate a third finger while he began to use his thumb to rub the bundle of nerves.

"I'm so close, Dean, please-"

"You wanna cum?"

"I wanna cum." She whined when he stopped and removed his hand from her pants, then removed her hand from his. "Dean-"

"Shh. I can't make love to you if we're both wearing pants." He said, pulling her pants down and pushing them off the couch and she used both her hands and her feet to push his off, letting them fall off the edge of the couch before he lowered himself onto her, holding himself up with his forearms and kissing her softly as he entered her slowly. Their moans of pleasure mixed in their joined mouths as he buried himself to the hilt inside her. "Fuck, Case, you feel so good around me, baby." He groaned as he pulled out slowly, then thrust back in. He leaned in close, burying his face in her neck, hearing every moan and obscenity that left her mouth with every calculated roll of his hips. He tried to keep his groans of pleasure back, but soon was panting into her ear about how perfect she was to him. She had her arms locked around his neck, her legs locked around his waist as he rocked his hips against hers in an attempt to go as deep as he could while his name begun to leave her lips as a mantra, which was how he knew she was close.

"I'm so close, Dean. Cum with me." It was all he needed to speed up the pace of his thrusts, keeping at it until he felt her tighten around him with a cry of his name, which sent him over the edge with a loud groan. He kept himself buried inside of her, pressing a kiss to the soft skin of her neck before pressing his face to her neck with a soft smile. "Can we go to your bed, Dean?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, just give me a sec to- ah- recover." He murmured, groaning as he pulled out of her and stood, scooping her up into his arms and carrying her to his bedroom.

* * *

**First legit smut scene in the story! This must be cause for celebration, right? It's gotta be. But this story is not going to become reliant on smut. I went twenty once chapters without it, so obviously it's not absolutely necessary. But this isn't a one time thing, I promise. Leave reviews, please and thank you. **


	23. Movies

A sharp tug of her hair and a curse from her boyfriend woke Casey up, and he wasn't a fan of the pained expression on her face when she was in the ring, let alone be the cause of it, himself, while she was trying to sleep.

"Sorry, babe. My hand got tangled in your hair and I didn't realize until I tried getting it free." He explained, smoothing her hair with his- now free- hand and she nodded, nuzzling into his chest more. "But I'm glad you're awake. I was a bit lonely."

"You should've woken me up sooner, then." She mumbled into his skin and he shrugged, beginning to twirl a piece of hair around his finger.

"I would've felt like a dick, but that doesn't matter now, because you're awake." She smiled and tilted her head back and he kissed her softly. "I love you, Casey."

"I love you, too, Dean." She liked the way his eyes seemed to sparkle whenever she told him that she loved him. It made her happy.

"So, now that we've slept the day away, what do you want for dinner?" He asked, seeing that it was six thirty-eight in the evening, and she shrugged.

"I'm going to have to shower before I do anything." She informed him and he nodded.

"While you do that, I'll order take out. I know what you like." He assured and she smiled as they sat up together.

"Thanks. Where do you keep your towels?" She asked as she made her way to the bathroom and he got out of bed.

"Hall closet. Get in the shower, I'll bring you one." She nodded and he gave her ass a gentle smack as she entered the bathroom in the hall and he got her towel for her and set it on the toilet seat, gave her a sweet peck on her lips, and made his way to the kitchen to get the takeout menu stuck to the fridge by a hula girl magnet she had bought him when she had a signing in Hawaii, but he was needed in Canada for SmackDown.

After he called in their orders, he picked up their clothes left abandoned in the living room and tossed them on top of his overflowing hamper on his way to his bedroom, where he pulled a grey tshirt out of his closet and tossed it onto the bed as she entered the bedroom, wrapped in the fluffy blue towel.

"What do you use to do your laundry?"

"The same stuff you use. Like, the bead shit and even the dryer sheets. I liked how it made my clothes feel after you washed my clothes for me when we at your place." He admitted with a sheepish smile, not bothering to face her as he began looking for pajama pans and she started to dig through her suitcase for underwear. "I need to do laundry tomorrow, don't let me forget to repack my suitcase."

"I'll just do it for you, tonight."

"You don't have to."

"I want to."

"Such a woman." He said in mock exaggeration, to which she giggled as he finally turned around to see her slipping into her fleece Batman pajama pants. "Are those the ones that I-"

"Jizzed all over? Yeah. That laundry soap does wonders." She laughed and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his face into her neck.

"Watch yourself, it may just happen again."

"Go take your shower. How much was dinner?"

"Like, twenty five dollars I think. My wallet is on the kitchen counter and I should have two twenties, just tell the delivery guy to keep the change."

"Alright."

"But put a shirt on, babe."

"You act like I was going to answer the door topless." She mumbled as she pulled her Batman tshirt over head and he shrugged.

"I never know when you're going to get kinky." He defended, pecking her lips before he picked up her towel and tossed it into the hamper.

"Go shower."

"Yes ma'am." He left the bedroom and she began sorting through the clothes in the hamper, separating the whites from the colors, then separating the dark colors from the bright ones. She loaded the whites into the washing machine and loaded the the soap and fabric softener before starting the machine and checking the dryer.

"Shit, his suitcase." She cursed herself before stopping the washer and and heading back into his bedroom to sort out his dirty traveling clothes and carried his whites to the washing machine and restarting the machine just as the delivery guy knocked on the door. She paid for the food like Dean requested, and set the containers on the counter.

"You smell good." She complimented as he wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck.

"It's the aftershave." He suggested as he released her and took the two cardboard containers from her before sitting at the bar counter.

"I think it's the body wash." She argued as she sat down beside him.

"It's all the same brand so I don't think it matters. What movie do you want to watch?" He asked, looking down at her as she put some orange chicken in her mouth and chewed.

"I dunno. Do you have any scary movies?"

"Like Friday the Thirteenth slasher scary? Or oh-my-god-there's-a-ghost-in-the-house scary?" He asked with a raised brow and she rest her head on his arm.

"Either works."

"I think I have all of the Halloween movies, if that's cool?"

"That's fine by me." They continued to eat in a comfortable silence.

* * *

"Case, it's just a movie." He soothed as she hid her eyes behind his hand. "A movie that you wanted to watch, by the way." He added as she lowered his hand and she glared up at him.

"Yeah, well, I haven't seen these in a while so I've forgotten about who is killed when and how." She defended, and he grinned as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"I'm going to go get a blanket." He announced as he stood and she looked up at him. Even in the dark room, illuminated only by the TV, he could see into those dark brown eyes, and the fear behind them.

"Hurry back."

"For you." He called, but instead of just getting the blanket, he moved the whites from the washer to the dryer and started it before making his way back to her. She smiled and snuggled into when he sat back down and covered them up.

"What took so long?"

"Had to put my clothes in the dryer. No big deal." She nodded and he begun to absently play with her hair as they continued to watch the movie.


	24. It's official

"This isn't me, guys." She mumbled, as the trio circled her slowly.

"You look good, Casey." Seth complimented and Roman nodded.

"I'm not debating how I look, I'm debating how comfortable I would be wrestling in this."

"I see your dilemma, babe. We all had to get used to it though. I know you can adapt." Dean assured, stepping so that they stood face to face and tilting her chin up with two fingers to look her in the eye. "Maybe we can just slap The Shield logo on a sports bra and you can wrestle in that with the cargo pants, but you'd probably have to wear the shirt when we're going through the crowd. The last thing I need is some pervert to try and cop a feel." She nodded and he adjusted the way that her shirt was tucked in.

"He's really anal about how our gear looks before we get to the ring." Seth explained and she nodded.

"Well, you guys wouldn't be nearly as intimidating if you looked disheveled, so I can understand that." Casey reasoned and Dean kissed her forehead.

"You don't have to keep your hair tied back, we don't." Roman stated and Casey nodded, but didn't pull her hair out of the high ponytail. The look on Dean's face suggested that he liked it tied back.

"So, did I pass the inspection?"

"You're good." The three men approved in unison and she smiled.

"Thank you."

"Let's go cut this promo." Roman ordered and everyone filed out of the locker room and down to the dark hallway where a crew was set up and Dean pulled her to stand right next to him, arm wrapped tight around her waist.

"Smirk, don't smile." Dean murmured his reminder into her ear and she nodded as the cameras began rolling.

_"A lot of people have been questioning whether or not a certain Diva's Champion is a member of The Shield." Roman started and Seth took over._

_"'Why isn't she in Shield gear if she is?' 'Why doesn't The Shield escort her to the ring?' 'Why isn't she at ringside during Shield matches?' But there's no need for you to question it anymore, because she is, and all of those things are changing. Tonight." For emphasis, Seth pointed down at towards the floor._

_"That's right. Casey Bella has got The Shield in her corner, and don't you worry Nikki, Brie, we'll take good care of her." Dean closed, pressing his lips to Casey's to taunt their audience, her sisters and Orton in particular, before they all walked off, pushing the camera to point at the crates in the room._

"You ready for your first ever walk through the crowd?" Roman asked, clapping her shoulder as they approached the audience entrance and she nodded.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"You ready for your first match where you represent The Shield?" Seth asked and she nodded again.

"Guys, you're making her nervous." Dean interjected, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "You'll do fine, Casey."

"I know I will. I'm the fucking Diva's champ."

"That's my girl!" Dean cheered, kissing her head with a smile as his two friends smirked.

_"The following contest is a Diva's match scheduled for one fall!"_

_**"Sierra Hotel India Echo Lima Delta. The Shield."**_

_"Approaching the ring first: representing The Shield and accompanied by United States champion Dean Ambrose. From Scottsdale, Arizona, she is the Diva's Champion, Casey Bella!" Justin Roberts announced as Casey and Dean fist bumped Seth and Roman before the two made their leave and the couple walked down the steps. Dean hopped over the barricade first before helping Casey over and she smiled up at him when he didn't release her hand and walked up the steel steps, even sitting on the middle rope for her to step into the ring._

_"And they say chivalry is dead." She teased as he stepped into the ring and he smirked, leaning against the ropes with her._

_"Only for you. Who's your opponent?" She only shrugged, alerting him to that fact that not only did she not know, but she could care less._

_**"You can look but you can't touch. You keep dreaming on the stars above."**_

_"And her opponent, accompanied by Brie. From Scottsdale, Arizona, Nikki Bella!" He noticed the way that she tensed up, seeing the entrance that she used to make, seeing her sisters together without her in the middle, and he could've sworn that she looked pained._

_"You gonna be okay?" He asked and she nodded._

_"Of course. I have you in my corner." She forced a smile and he kissed her softly before taking her title belt and stepping out of the ring._

_The bell rang and the two Bellas shared a glance. Both looked unhappy with the current situation. Nikki showed it on her face while Casey let it shine through her eyes, keeping her face neutral as she and her sister circled each other casually. Neither in any kind of athletic stance, they just walked slowly._

_"Is this for real, Casey?" Nikki asked, gesturing to her new outfit and Casey nodded._

_"I'm with The Shield, Nikki. I have been since September."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because you and Brie turned your backs on me." She stated simply, making the first move by irish whipping her older sister into the ropes and drop kicking her._

_"Your boyfriend attacked Daniel." Nikki argued as she stood, and Casey rolled her eyes._

_"So you exile me?" Casey growled as they locked up, gained leverage and slipped behind Nikki, putting her in a sleeper, but Nikki managed to throw Casey on her back and cover her. Casey kicked out at one, pushing Nikki off of her. "It's not like they attacked you guys." She defended as she hopped to her feet, and Nikki did the same._

_"They might as well have." Nikki grunted as they locked up again and she swept Casey's leg from under her, the younger Bella slamming to the mat._

_"Daniel ranks higher than me?" She asked, staring up at her sister who looked conflicted. Nikki's hesitation to answer gave Casey two things: an answer, and an opportunity. She kicked Nikki in the stomach before rolling her into a leverage pin for the three count. She slid from the ring as The Shield theme blared throughout the arena, taking her belt from a visibly concerned Dean as he looked to his girlfriend's older sisters in the ring while he and Casey headed for the barricade._

"Casey, what the hell happened in there?" He asked as they made their way back to The Shield locker room and she sighed. "What did she say?"

"Basically, that Daniel ranks higher than I do in their books."

"No way."

"Mhm."

"Case, you're my number one, if that makes you feel any better." He mumbled softly, and she looked up at him.

"I am?"

"You have been since March." He confirmed and she wrapped her arms tight around him. He felt her tears soak through his shirt and sighed, smoothing her hair down. "Let it out, babe. I'm here for you." He looked down the hall and saw Seth and Roman coming towards them, but he raised a hand to stop them from coming any closer. Roman got the gist quicker than Seth, and pulled the two toned man back the way they came, letting the couple have their moment.

* * *

**This chapter is late by my standards, but I was trying to write while watching RAW and I kept getting distracted. The Shield looked so good all dressed up like that while giving the award. Just sayin'.**


	25. He Won't Hurt Her

"Dean, stop it."

"Stop what?" He asked against the smooth skin of her neck and she wiggled away from him so she could glare at him with her hands on her hips. "You know how adorable you look right now?"

"Can I just finish packing?"

"I don't understand why you still want to go." He groaned, flopping onto her bed, accidentally bouncing her half packed suitcase off and into the floor. "Shit." He moved to pick it up but she had already dropped to her knees to correct what was already in it and moved it back to the bed.

"I'm going to see my mom. I'm not upset with her. You don't have to go, I've told you this a few times." She explained, not bothering to look up at him from the clothes she had already laid out in the bed.

"I'm going for you. You'll need me."

"I don't want you to feel trapped."

"I should meet your mom anyways, I want us to be an us for a lot longer than eight months and I don't think that'll be possible without me meeting your mom."

"How long do you want us to be an us?"

"As long as you'll have me. I've actually been doing some thinking-"

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" She teased as he stood and he locked her in a headlock before gently forcing her to the ground.

"I think I'm just fine, you little shit." He laughed and she giggled, craning her head to kiss him softly. "But seriously, I have something to ask you."

"I'm listening."

"No jokes?" He asked, sticking his pinky finger out to her and she smiled.

"No jokes." She promised, locking her pinky finger around his.

"We've spending a lot of time together, more at my place than yours, and I was wondering if you, possibly, wanted to move in with me?" The way she just stared up at him made him nervous. Her eyes were calculating, almost scrutinizing his face. He was afraid to speak, so he just looked down at her and watched her face for any signs that she would say no. Eventually, her hand raised to cup his cheek and he instantly leaned into the warmth of her hand.

"You're sure?"

"I'm positive. I love and trust you, more than I've ever loved or trusted anybody. Sometimes, it scares me, but I'm always grateful that I have an amazing woman like you to call mine." He saw the tears well up in her eyes and he got up so that she could sit up and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love you, too, Dean."

"So you'll move in with me?" He asked, pulling her onto his lap so that she straddled him.

"I'll move in with you." She confirmed, and he kissed her softly.

"When's our flight?"

"Six in the evening tomorrow. Why- oh." She got her answer in the form of him rolling his hips against hers, to which she only smiled and pulled him close. "Too bad my clothes are on the bed."

"Sweetheart, I don't have a problem with taking you on the floor." He mumbled between kissing and biting her neck as his hand slipped up the front of her tshirt to cup her breasts through her bra. "I especially don't have a problem with you wearing lace." He teased, pulling her shirt up to reveal the black lace that stood between him and her chest. He stopped her from unclasping, to which she rose an eyebrow but he ignored her questioning gaze by laying her on the carpet gently and unbuttoning her jeans.

"Why don't you want my bra off?"

"It's hot."

He didn't even bother with taking off her shoes to pull her pants down all the way, and once her jeans and panties were down to her ankles he ducked under so that he was between her legs and ran his tongue along her folds before inserting two fingers into her pussy while he watched her face contort with pleasure when he brushed against that special spot.

"Fuck, Dean." She moaned out as his mouth latched onto her clit. She tangled her hand in his hair to encourage him, but he used his free hand to remove her hand from his head and held it tight in his, giving a squeeze to let her know that he'd take care of her. She tilted her hips up, but he stopped everything and looked up at her.

"You are like a child, you know that? So fucking impatient. Jesus Christ." He scolded, staring into her eyes.

"Are you stopping?"

"No, I wouldn't do that to you. But I need you to let me be in control, okay?" She nodded and he kissed the inside of her thigh before he spread her folds with two fingers and licked up to her clit, but just barely brushed it before paying giving all of his oral attention to her pussy. She couldn't even focus on what exactly he was doing, because he did it all so well. Regardless of the fact that her clit was being neglected, she felt her orgasm quickly approaching.

"Dean, I'm gonna-"

"I know." He mumbled against her pussy, removing his mouth and putting his two fingers back in, rubbing quick circles on her clit with his thumb until she came on his fingers with a moan of his name. He slipped from between her legs giving her time to recover while he took off his belt. "Hey, Case?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I tie your hands together?"

"With what?"

"I was just going to use my belt, if that's okay?"

"You'd let me go if I asked you to, right?" She asked and he nodded as he turned her over onto her stomach.

"Of course. Pick any city in the world."

"Seattle." She mumbled into the carpet as he pushed her knees forward so her ass was in the air before he knelt beside her.

"That's our safe word. You say Seattle and I'll stop everything and you can tell me what's wrong, okay?" She nodded and he kissed her softly. "Don't forget it."

"I won't." She assured as she felt the leather of his belt around her wrists and heard the metal slide down until it bumped against her wrists.

"Too tight?"

"It's fine." She assured as he pulled it down towards her feet.

"Stay put." She nodded against the carpet as he stood and pushed down his briefs and jeans down just enough to free his cock before he eased into her with a soft groan.

Casey knew that she was currently having sex with Dean, but she couldn't help but think about the last time she was in a position similar to this. Randy never asked about a safe word and he didn't stop when she asked him to. Which was why she was always terrified to let Dean take complete control because she didn't want to be in the same position again. She never wanted to feel trapped again.

"Casey, what's wrong? Am I hurting you?" Dean asked, but she didn't hear him because she was too wrapped up in her thoughts. He saw her lack of response as silent suffering, so he pulled out and stuffed himself back into his pants and took his belt from around her wrists before he pulled her into his arms. "What did I do?"

"Nothing. You were fine."

"Then why are you crying?"

"Randy." She didn't have to say anything else, he understood just fine.

"Baby, I'm not him. I'm nothing like him, and I need you to remember that." He murmured softly into her hair and she nodded.

"I'm sorry, Dean."

"Don't apologize, Casey. It happens."

He just wished that it didn't happen again.


	26. They Like Me(Christmas Part 1)

Casey knew that she and Dean would be there a day early, she actually planned it like that so she and Dean had a day to relax with her parents so she could get to know Dean without Nikki and Brie glaring at them the whole time they were there.

"So your sisters won't be here until tomorrow, but I'm sure you knew that, Casey." Her mom, Kathy, informed from where she sat beside her father and Casey nodded from her seat beside Dean on the couch.

"They've exiled me, and now Daniel ranks higher in their books than I do just because of who I'm dating." Casey complained, and Dean held her hand in his in an attempt to calm her down.

"You know how your sisters are, they'll get over it eventually. Remind Brie that Daniel was in the Nexus next time she brings it up. Can you help me get the house decorations from the attic, Casey?" Her father, Jon, asked and she nodded.

"Sure thing." She kissed Dean's cheek before going to the attic with her father, and he looked at her mother, obviously nervous.

"You can relax, Dean. I'm not going to interrogate you. You've brought something out in Casey that I haven't seen since she was in high school." Dean rose an eyebrow at her statement and she nodded. "It's hard to explain, but I appreciate it. After Randy, we weren't sure she'd even want to date again. I don't know how you broke down her walls, but you did and I sincerely appreciate it."

"I love her, y'know? Your daughter has made me change for the better, without even trying, really. She's like..." He trailed off, trying to find a decent comparison that wasn't too corny. "This light that I have in my life and I'm not sure I'd be able to be the man I am today, without her in my life." _Shit, that was really corny. _He thought to himself, seeing the smile on her mom's face.

Casey heard his simile and stopped short at the entrance to the living room, a container of indoor holiday decorations in her arms. It was different hearing him say something like that about her to her mother, somebody he was extremely nervous about meeting.

"He's a keeper, Case!" Her father stated as he walked passed her into the living room, carrying the Christmas tree box under his arm.

"Did you guys get the tree lights and ornaments?"

"We figured that those could wait until the twins got here." Casey explained and her mom nodded as Casey set her container down and sat back down beside Dean. He wrapped his arm around her waist and she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Did you want Dean and I to set up the tree?"

"While your father and I check on dinner, for sure. Just relax for right now, Casey, and let me get a picture of you and Dean. Jon, where's my camera?" Her father laughed on his way to the kitchen and her mother followed behind, mumbling to herself about where she put it.

"They like me, Case." He whispered in her ear and she grinned.

"I told you they would."

* * *

"Are you sure that branch goes there?"

"Dean, I've been putting this tree together since I was seventeen. I think I'd know how it goes." She argued and he rose his hands in defense.

"I believe you, I was just curious." He defended and she lightly punched his shoulder.

"Just keep unfolding the branches, handsome." He smirked and complied with her request and they both heard the door open.

"Mom, I came early and I brought John!" Nikki called and Dean saw Casey tense up.

"Want a drink?" He asked and she shook her head.

"Oh, Casey, you brought Dean." Nikki mumbled, but Casey ignored her, continuing to put the tree togetherness John walked over to shake Dean's hand. He slipped a small box into Dean's free hand and he looked up at the older man in confusion.

"From me to you two. Nikki doesn't know about it, and we'll keep it that way. Is there any way I can help?"

"You can unfold the branches with Dean." Casey mumbled, not looking up at John as she continued putting branches in their sockets around the base of the tree.

"I meant with the Nikki and Brie thing."

"No. This isn't your battle, super Cena." She muttered, looking up at the older man briefly before going back to the tree. John got the message and backed off, looking for his girlfriend instead while Dean opened the small box. His eyes widened, not expecting two tickets for a ten day cruise and a letter from Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, allowing them to take the vacation.

"Way to be, super Cena." Dean mumbled and Casey looked at him quizzically.

"What's that?"

"I'll tell you later." He promised, slipping the box into his sweatshirt pocket.

* * *

Nikki and Brie watched from their seats on the couch as Dean and Casey played catch with a tennis ball in the front yard. Their parents really lit into them for how they've been treating their little sister because Casey was finally legitimately happy, and not just playing the part for everybody else's enjoyment. Daniel and John were busy untangling lights, since Casey and Dean had put the tree together and decorated most of the inside of the house.

"Maybe we were being a bit ridiculous." Brie murmured and Nikki nodded.

"They're pretty cute together."

"Apologizing to Casey would mean getting her alone, and she hasn't left Dean's side except when one of them had to use the bathroom."

"I don't think I've ever seen him smile at anybody but her."

"Nicole, are you listening?" Brie asked and Nikki nodded, not removing her attention from the couple playing catch.

* * *

"We're just not supposed to talk about it?" Casey asked as she tossed the ball to Dean and he nodded. "Sounds really expensive to just not talk about."

"Super Cena was pretty specific." He sad as he tossed the ball back and she shrugged.

"I'll write him a thank you letter and put it in a box." Casey joked and Dean laughed as he caught the tennis ball.

"I left my Christmas gift to you back in Tampa."

"So did I. I only brought the gifts for my family." She said as she caught the ball he tossed and walked towards him.

"What'd you get me?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist as hers wrapped around his neck.

"It's a secret." She teased and he kissed her softly.

"Chances are, I'll forget before we get home."

"Not this, you won't. I know how that mind works, Mr. Ambrose."

"Is it kinky sex?" He asked with a smirk and she blushed.

"You wish."

* * *

Casey slipped from her bedroom, leaving a fast asleep Dean in bed. Making her way down the hall quietly, she made her way down to the kitchen but stopped short when she heard her sisters talking.

"...when she's always right next to him?" Brie asked.

"Oh I know?" Nikki commented, and Casey heard a glass get set down. "It's so hard to apologize when we can't even get her alone for two minutes."

"Well, you two need to figure it out. She doesn't deserve to have been treated like that, and you two know damn well that if the tables had been flipped, you'd be in a much worse state than she's in." Their mother stated and Casey decided then that she'd walk into the kitchen to get the glass of water that she went down there for in the first place.

"Casey, we were actually just talking about you." Brie started and Casey shrugged, getting a small glass and pouring ice and water from the fridge into it.

"And?" Their mother encouraged and the twins sighed.

"We wanted to apologize." Nikki stated, to which Casey shrugged once again and begun to walk away.

"Casey May." Casey flinched at the use of her middle name in such a harsh way, and turned to face her sisters.

"It wasn't your fault, and we've been treating you unfairly." Brie continued and Casey rose an eyebrow, setting her glass on the counter.

"Unfairly? You alienate and exile me for months and all you have to say is that you were being _unfair_? I cried myself to sleep the night I won the Diva's title, because my own sisters weren't there for me when I did it, even though I was there for them when they did. You can take your bogus 'apology' and shove it up your asses until you come up with a better one. I'm certain that you're only apologizing because mom asked you to. I love you guys to death, I do, but you need to realize that I know you two better than anyone, so I know when your apologies actually mean shit. Goodnight." Leaving her glass of water behind, Casey made her way back up the stairs to her bedroom where Dean was up and waiting.

"Where did you go?" He mumbled and she shook her head as she climbed into bed and buried her face into his neck. "Case?"

"You smell really good." He knew that she was upset, but he wasn't going to pry. She never opened up when he pried.

* * *

**Part one of the Christmas special. I'm thinking that the Christmas special is probably going to be like three or four chapters. Maybe. I have a lot of Christmasy ideas and I want to incorporate all of them into this Christmas. **


	27. A Picture With Santa(Christmas Part 2)

To say that breakfast the following morning was awkward would be a major understatement. As usual, Kathy and Jon sat at the ends of the table, but instead of sitting close to her mother like she did at dinner the night before, Casey sat on the left side of the table closest to her father and Dean sat beside her.

"You okay, Casey?" Her father asked and she nodded.

"I didn't sleep all that well." She explained simply as John sat down across from her and and rose an eyebrow. She wouldn't be surprised if Nikki whined to him about her not accepting the bullshit apology, and she didn't care in the slightest.

"Your pajamas correlate." John pointed out and she looked over and saw that Dean was indeed wearing the Robin pajama set she bought him for his birthday and smiled.

"I didn't even notice." She mumbled and Dean gave her knee a gentle squeeze.

"That's love." Her mother pointed out and Casey smiled, a silent signal to the matriarch of the family that she wasn't upset with her as Nikki, Brie, and Daniel came down to the table together. Daniel sat as far away from Dean as possible, Brie sandwiched between Daniel and John, while Nikki sat beside Dean. All the food was already set on the table and her mom gave the nod that meant they could all start putting food on their plates.

* * *

Everybody but Dean and Casey went to the mall, since Dean faked not feeling well so he and Casey could stay behind.

"What happened last night?" Dean asked as they cuddled on the couch and watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on TV.

"I came down to get water and walked in on my mom lecturing Nikki and Brie about why they needed to apologize, and they did, only it was the most bullshit apology I've ever heard." She explained and Dean laughed.

"Figured as much. You were really upset last night."

"It was the most aggravating thing ever. Don't abandon me like they did, Dean. I don't think I could handle it." She mumbled, looking up at him from where her head rest on his shoulder.

"As long as you promise not to abandon me." He said so softly, she almost didn't hear him.

"I'd never abandon you, Dean." She whispered and he pulled her closer to him than she was before. "I love you too much."

"I love you, too, Case. More than I could possibly put into words."

* * *

"Feeling any better, Dean?" Kathy asked as the rest of the family came home and the blonde nodded from where he sat on the couch with a sleeping Casey by his side.

"Did she sleep at all when she went up to bed?" Brie asked and Dean looked at her confused.

"Oh, you care about how she is now? I didn't see you caring much these past few months, I wasn't sure that you knew how to care about her."

"Answer the fucking question, Ambrose." Brie snapped and everyone looked between the two.

"I'm just confused as to why you suddenly care. You let her get thrown around the ring by Tamina and didn't even check to make sure she was okay afterwards, but you're worried about how much sleep she got because she saw right through your bullshit apology last night?"

"I don't understand how that is any of your business." Nikki butt in and Dean rolled his eyes.

"You two abandon her because Daniel gets caught up with The Shield and she's dating me. Brie invites us to breakfast with no intention to apologize, but to ask her to get The Shield to back off. I'm the one person in her life right now who has been there for her regardless these past eight months. I'm the one who holds her while she cries because her own sisters turned their backs on her. You tell me how this isn't my business." Dean argued as Casey started to stir and the twins stared at him, speechless, before storming out of the living room, their boyfriends not too far behind. Dean returned his attention to his now awake girlfriend while Kathy and Jon began putting presents under the tree.

"Do you wanna go somewhere?" Casey mumbled and he shrugged.

"I'll go anywhere you wanna go."

"I just don't want to be near them right now."

"Let's get dressed, and we can go do something." He said and she nodded against his arm before standing up and he followed suit.

* * *

"Do you think they'd let us take a picture with Santa?" Casey asked, looking over at the short line and he shrugged.

"It's worth a shot. The worst they can say is no."

"True. Let's get in line."

"Aren't I glad I put on my dress jeans?" He asked rhetorically as she pulling him along to the line and she smiled at the woman dressed as an elf who was in charge of the line. She let them enter without an issue and it wasn't long before they were both seated on the arms of Santa's throne while a picture of them was taken.

"I'm so tweeting this." She mumbled as they continued to walk around the mall and he smiled.

"It's certainly a keeper. When do we go home?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. We're opening presents tonight and we'll be in Tampa by five pm tomorrow." She explained as she took a picture of their picture with Santa and tweeted it.

"I don't think I can take much more of being around your sisters, plus we've gotta move your stuff into my place by the end of the month, and I'd like to get a jump start on that."

"Indeed we should. Plus we've got to deal with work in between."

"I wasn't even thinking about that." Dean groaned and she held his hand in hers. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just like holding your hand. It's comforting."

"I'm glad I could provide you with such comforts."

"Me too."

* * *

**Review review review! I'd greatly appreciate it. and I do appreciate all those who have reviewed this in the past, and a of those who have favorited and follow this story. im glad you all enjoy it!**


	28. Secret Santas (Christmas Part 3)

"Maybe I could change our flight to tomorrow morning..." Casey mused aloud to herself as she waited for Dean to come to bed from the bathroom. She didn't want to be there anymore. Not after she put the upmost thought into the gifts she got her sisters, and they only muttered a thank you. Casey was done. She knew that Dean defending her had only further upset Nikki and Brie, because he proved them wrong and made them look like bitches. But it wasn't like Casey really cared how they felt anymore. If anything, they were just giving Casey more reason to ignore them once they all left their parent's house. She asked Dean to give John the cruise tickets back, because she didn't want anything to further fuel Nikki and Brie, even if they didn't know about it, and Dean understood. He was always pretty understanding.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked and she jumped, since she hadn't noticed him enter the room, let alone get into bed beside her.

"How done I am with everything."

"Not even one more day, and then we'll be home. We can stop by a store and buy boxes and we can go box up your apartment."

"Why don't you box up yours?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Do we really need a two bedroom apartment? I like your place, but it don't think we need that much space." He reasoned, watching her face as she thought about it.

"I suppose you're right." She mumbled, moving so that she was laying down with her head on his thigh.

"If you want me to move into your place, I will, babe." He told her as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"No," she sighed, content with the ministrations of his hand. "I think I'd be better off at your place. Too many bad memories at mine."

"Randy?"

"Just everything, Dean." He nodded and began slowly moving so he could lay down and she rest her head in his chest.

"Just get some rest, Casey. We'll be home tomorrow." She nodded and he kissed the top of her head before staring up at the ceiling while she faded to sleep.

* * *

"Salvation Army moves fast." Dean commented as he entered her apartment and saw it stripped of her furniture. She was boxing up old pictures and he saw one that he hadn't seen before still on the wall.

"Was that the Fourth of July?" He asked, taking the frame off the wall and looking down at the picture of them with Ted, Wade, and Brad. He didn't remember the picture being taken, though.

"Yeah."

"Why don't I remember this being taken?" He asked as he brought the picture to where she was wrapping other picture frames in bubble wrap on the kitchen counter and she took it from him to wrap it in bubble wrap.

"We weren't even looking at the camera. Nobody knew that this picture was taken until Summer Rae gave me the print in a frame." She explained as she put the picture in the box and taped it shut, writing /pictures/ on the side and top in her neat handwriting before he took it from her.

"That's pretty cool. I unpacked your clothes for you, since it didn't really take long to get everything from the last trip up to my apartment and I know how you like them organized."

"Thank you."

"Not a problem. Is this the last box?"

"Yeah. I have to give my key to my landlord, but yeah."

"I've never knowingly taken this step with a woman before, and I'm glad that I'm doing this with you, Casey."

"Well, Dean, I'm- wait. Knowingly?" She asked and he shrugged.

"I got mixed up with this older chick when I was nineteen. I was too stupid to realize it, and she was pretty fucking crazy." He explained before carrying the box out the door.

"Why does that not surprise me?" She mused to herself, taking one last walk around the apartment, making sure that she didn't leave anything behind before locking the door behind her and heading down the stairs to the landlord's office, and eventually landed herself in the passenger's seat of Dean's car.

* * *

"I just got a text from Brad. Apparently, you and I have to get Ryback and Tamina gifts." Casey informed Dean as she sat down beside him on the couch.

"Why?" Dean asked, not looking up from his game on his phone, and she shrugged.

"Some secret Santa exchange thing that he decided to do."

"Can you tell him that I'll pass?"

"He said that, and I quote: 'there's no way in hell anybody is getting out of this'. I'm gonna give Tamina a title match, that I'm going to need you to disqualify me from."

"Or you can just get her a box of candy and /not/ put your title on the line?" He suggested and she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I guess I could do that. What are you going to get Ryback?"

"I'm gonna get the big guy a wig." Dean joked and she laughed into his arm.

"Or maybe just a hat. Get him a Bengals hat and write him a note and just leave it with his stuff in the locker room."

"You're a smart lady."

* * *

It was the last Monday Night RAW before Christmas, and of course it was holiday themed. Brad had attacked Casey and Dean with Santa hats, claiming that as General Manager of RAW, it was his job to make sure that everybody had a fun holiday themed thing, along with their secret Santa gifts.

"You distract Ryback, I'll slip the box on his bag." Dean whispered in her ear and she nodded rushing ahead to catch Ryback as he left his locker room.

"Heya, Ryback, right?"

"Uh, yeah? What do you want?" He asked as Dean slipped into the locker room.

"I just wanted to point out that you look really good. Did you start using a new shampoo?

"I don't use shampoo?" He mumbled quizzically, rubbing his bald head as Dean ducked out of the locker room and her eyes widened.

"Oh? You don't need it anyways. You look good. See ya later!" She called as she scurried off and Ryback watched as she walked off with Dean.

"Did you seriously ask if he started using a new shampoo?" Dean asked and she swatted his arm as he laughed.

"I was on the spot and he makes me nervous. You're welcome, jerk. Oh, Tamina!" Casey called as she spotted the much larger woman and handed her the box. "Merry Christmas."

"Thank you." Tamina murmured as she opened the box, revealing the yellow scarf. "How did you know that I liked the color yellow?"

"It looks nice on you. See you around."

* * *

"You're my secret Santa?" Casey asked, looking at the box Roman handed her when she and Dean got to The Shield locker room.

"Mhm."

"I got Fandango." Seth grumbled and Dean laughed.

"I got Ryback and she got Tamina." Dean explained and their teammates snickered.

"You know, I don't think Tamina has ever smiled at me, before." Casey informed them as she switched her jeans for her cargo pants before she opened the neatly wrapped box. "I love snow globes, Roman. Thank you."

"Not a problem, squirt." The large Samoan placed his hand atop her head and gave a pat, something she'd gotten used to from the older man. Roman wasn't a hugger. He was a happy man, just not a hugger. Seth, on the other hand, was a teddy bear. Dean was an in between guy, but he hugged Casey whenever she she looked like she needed it.

"You going to cross fit with us in the morning, Casey?" Seth asked and the brunette shrugged.

"You guys go so early. Who gets up at six in the morning on a Tuesday to work out?" She asked and Seth laughed.

"We do. You'll have fun, I promise."

"I'm in." She sighed and was pulled into a hug by the two toned man.

"I'm holding you to this. If he walks into the cross fit gym without you and gives me some bullshit excuse I will pull you out of bed myself." He threatened and she laughed as he set her down.

"I'll go. I'll go."


	29. Ambrella?(Christmas Part 4)

"One more pull up!" All three men cheered and she groaned, but complied before she lost her grip on the bar and fell into Dean's arms. He set her on her feet and Seth offered a high five.

"I don't think I can raise my arms." She whined and Seth laughed.

"You'll get used to it. Soon, twenty five pull ups will be nothing." Roman assured, patting her back as they all made their way to the entrance.

"I could barely do ten." She objected and the three men looked down at her.

"Give it time." They chorused in unison and she huffed before they all went their separate ways.

"So how was your early morning workout?" Dean asked and she shrugged as she got into the car.

"I had fun working out with you guys, and I wouldn't mind going again."

"Good, because you're going next week." He said with a smirk and she rolled her eyes.

"You are so lucky I love you." She mumbled as he stopped at a red light and he leaned over to kiss her lips.

"I love you, too. Can we go buy a Christmas tree?"

"Christmas is tomorrow?" She stated in a questioning tone and he nodded.

"Let's go to Walmart and buy a tree. It doesn't have to be big, and it can even be one of the ones that come with lights on it. I just feel like we should have one of our own." He explained as the light turned green and she nodded, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"I'd like that."

* * *

"So, do I have to wait until Christmas day to get my gift?" He asked as they looked through the takeout menus together and she nodded.

"Midnight at the very earliest."

"Can I give my gift to you early?"

"No. Because that would violate the rules of Christmas. Let's just order a pizza?" She suggested and he shrugged.

"Is that what you want? And last I checked, there aren't any set rules for Christmas."

"If you want to give it to me now, you can, and I won't stop you. And I'll eat anything right now."

"Christmas Eve blowjob?" He asked with a wink and she swatted his arm lightly. "I guess not. But are you sure you want pizza? I don't mind ordering takeout."

"Whatever you want to get is fine, babe." She said as she wrapped her arms around his and nuzzled his bicep.

"I'll call for take out, I don't think there are any pizza places open at seven on Christmas Eve." She nodded and he made the call before turning on the TV and flipping to a channel that was playing Christmas movies while she picked her phone up off the coffee table. "How do you tweet so much?" He asked and she stared up at him quizzically.

"What do you mean?"

"You and Seth tweet all the damn time. How?"

"I tweet when I do of see something I think is cool, take a cute picture of you, or when I retweet something that someone mentioned me in that grabs my attention. Going on tumblr is more fun in my opinion because is like reading the reactions people have to what happened during the shows and the people who ship us."

"They do what to us?" He asked and she laughed at his reaction.

"Let me grab my laptop. Stay put." She prompted as she stood and rushed to get her MacBook Pro from their bedroom and logged into her tumblr account as she walked back to the couch. She typed _ambrella _into the search bar and he watched as a bunch of pictures and posts popped up onto the screen.

"Holy shit."

"A ship, from what I've learned on here, is like a couple. And when people ship a certain couple, it just means that they like that that could is a thing."

"They call us Ambrella?"

"Along with Deasey and I've even seen Bellabrose, but I like Ambrella best." She explained as she took a picture of him looking on the website.

"I like Ambrella. There's a page dedicated to your tweets. It's even called casey-bella-tweets."

"I know. Watch this." She murmured as she tweeted the picture along with a tweet reading: **_"I had to explain shipping to TheDeanAmbrose a couple minutes ago."_**

They waited five minutes before the page updated with a picture of her tweet in a new post with the caption _"They found us! Let's see if Casey Bella will find the thing!"_, to which Dean laughed out loud.

"Casey, we found the thing! We're like fucking explorers!" They high fived and he set her MacBook on the coffee table and hunched over to continue scrolling through tumblr. "Some people have way too much time on their hands. Somebody has done an outfit appreciation post for you, and there's one for me."

"That position is bad for your back, honey." She commented and he corrected himself, closing the window before shutting her MacBook and pulling her into his lap do that she straddled him. She pressed her face into his neck and breathed in the smell of his body wash mixed with the smell of his laundry soap, a combined scent of mint and vanilla that she felt at home wrapped in. She felt his arms wrap around around her and hold her tight to his chest, their bodies molded so perfectly together it was unreal. Neither moved, not did they speak. The only sounds in the room were the sounds of their breathing and whatever movie was on TV. They stayed like that until a knock sounded on the door and Dean set her beside him so he could pay for dinner.

* * *

He didn't sleep at all that night. He stayed up watching her as she slept. Running his fingers through her ridiculously soft dark brown hair, he watched the simple rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, the way the moonlight illuminated her skin in sections as it shined through the blinds, and the way she'd constantly adjust so that she could feel him. In all honesty, he didn't think that he deserved her. She was beautiful, smart, and talented. She was a fucking package deal. He wouldn't deny that he was physically attractive, but he was ugly on the inside. Abandonment issues, a bad temper, he plenty of inner wounds from his childhood and teenage years that had yet to heal. But she still loved him.

"You're crazy, kitten." He whispered to himself, continuing to watch her sleep.


	30. Merry Christmas!

She woke up alone in the large bed and sat up slowly. It certainly felt empty without Dean, which she found odd, considering that her bed was larger than his, and she always felt fine alone in that one.

"You okay?" He asked as he carried two plates into the bedroom and she nodded with a smile.

"I'm fine. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." He repeated, handing her a plate and kissing her softly before sitting down on the bed beside her. "This is kind of my gift to you, but I have something else for you."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I was up, so why not?" He asked and she nodded, looking up at him as she bit into her toast. He looked tired, there were dark circles beneath his eyes, and Casey wondered if he had slept at all during the night. "How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty well. How'd you sleep?" She asked and he shrugged.

"I slept." He mumbled and she nodded, going back to her breakfast.

* * *

"I have never made cookies before." He admitted with a sheepish grin and she sighed.

"There's so many things our children are not allowed to miss out on." She mumbled as she mixed the cookie dough and he looked over at her.

"You want to have kids with me?"

"Not like, next week, or anything, y'know? But we'd have cute kids."

"You're not afraid I'll be a shitty dad or something like that?"

"I'm not afraid of anything like that. You may have had a shitty life, but I don't think you have it in you to be a shitty parent. You thought you'd be a shitty boyfriend, but here we are almost nine months later." She explained, hopping up to sit on the counter top. He stood between her open legs and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Here we are." He mumbled, resting his head on her chest while her fingers pushed back his blonde curls back, her free hand rubbing his back in a comforting gesture. "I want us to be forever, Casey."

"I can give you forever, Dean. But we are supposed to be making cookies, my love."

"Yes, let us make cookies now, and talk about the future another day."

"We've got forever."

"Fuck yeah, we do."

* * *

He pulled her out to the living room and she saw the two wrapped boxes that they had put under their tree last night sat on the coffee table. He picked up the smaller of the two

"I'm not the best at giving gifts. I've never really felt the want, or need, to give anybody a gift before. But, as I've told you before, you're special to me." He mumbled and she smiled as he set the box in her hands and she gently began to tear the wrapping paper. "You can decimate the paper, kitten. Roman wrapped it for me because I don't know how to wrap." Dean laughed and she grinned, but slid the box out of the paper before opening it, letting a small gasp escape her lips.

"It's pretty." She murmured, looking down at the sterling silver bracelet and the three charms that were on it.

"It's one of those Pandora things. Like there's the tennis racket, and the two cats because it's a love type thing and I call you kitten, and then there's a reindeer to commemorate our first Christmas together. I know it's not much, but-"

"Dean, it's perfect. I love it." She assured as she leaned over and hugged him. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He said softly as they pulled away and she set the box down and picked up her gift to him. "What's this?"

"Open it."

"This just feels expensive." He muttered as he set the box in his lap and began tearing at the paper. He opened up the box and looked down at the stainless steel watch before look up at his girlfriend.

"You mentioned needed a new watch, so I got you one. It's one of those light powered ones, so you don't need to worry about replacing the battery." She explained and he smiled.

"This is perfect."

"The guy who was helping me kept trying to get me to get flashier looking ones, but I know you wouldn't want a super flashy watch."

"I'm a complicated man who loves the simple things. Thank you, Casey."

* * *

"Why didn't you get any sleep last night?" She asked once he laid beside her and he looked down at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I slept fine last night, Casey." He lied, not wanting her to worry about him, and he especially didn't want to have to tell her about his thought process.

"Dean, you're lying."

"I watched you sleep all night, okay? You're just so fucking beautiful in the moonlight. Now let's get to bed. How you're not totally exhausted after three rounds of mind blowing sex, I'll never know. I love you, Casey."

"I love you, too, Dean. Merry Christmas." She murmured before she pressed a kiss to his chest and he smiled.

"Merry Christmas, Case."

* * *

**So, the unplanned five part Christmas special has come to an end...seventeen days before Christmas. I have no idea where to go, now. Please review, and like always, much thanks to everyone who has reviewed this.**


	31. What A Shitty Rebound

Casey accompanied Dean to a signing in Minnesota. They were trying to make it obvious that there was a rift in The Shield so he had a signing on the other side of the country.

"Case, it's snowing." He murmured into her ear as she practically dragged him into the mall and adjusted her hat.

"Yeah, I'll let you play in the snow after you do your job." She assured, pulling her coat closer around her body. "How are you warm?"

"Huh?"

"It's fucking freezing."

"Mind your mouth, Miss Bella. This is for children, too." He teased and she rolled her eyes playfully as they approached the area where the signing was.

"Not my signing. I've got to pick something up, though."

"Do you?"

"Mhm. It's something you'll like, I hope."

"Don't buy lingerie. It'll only get torn. You look hot, but it's not worth the looks I get when it gets torn." He said and she smiled at the memory of the last time she wore lingerie for him. "Go have fun. I'll be here working."

"Ew." She giggled and he kissed her softly, eliciting a round of cheers from the crowd. "We're about to be all the rage on Instagram."

"Can we go on Tumblr when we get home?"

"Of course. See you."

"Be safe, please." He called as she walked away and she waved one hand over her shoulder. Dean sat down in his chair with a sigh, and Orton looked over at him.

"Fantasy world isn't working out, Ambrose?"

"My fantasy world is just fine, in fav it's more of a reality. How's Eva Marie?" Dean asked snidely and the older man glared down the younger blonde. "Oh, were we not supposed to talk about that?"

"You're so lucky this is public event."

"I don't need a ring and ropes to take you on." Ambrose stated lowly, but Orton heard him just fine as he smiled for a picture. Nothing was said after that. Nothing needed to be said. Ambrose made his point clear.

_He wasn't afraid of The Apex Predator._

* * *

Meanwhile, Casey was scrolling through tumblr in the Ambrella tag to see some pictures of her kiss with Dean had already made it on there. She took a sip of her coffee with a smile from where she sat in Starbucks, having already picked up the book she told Dean that she wanted him to read when Eva Marie walked in the coffee shop and spotted her.

"I haven't seen you in what feels like forever." The dyed red head greeted and Casey rose an eyebrow.

"You just saw me Monday, but whatever. How are you?" She asked as she got a text from Dean.

_'I'm about to kill your ex.'_

_'I'll come hold your earring Sharkiesha_' She knew that would make him laugh, until she got away from Eva Marie.

"...and Randy is just a dream to be with." Casey tuned in at the right time, and wasn't a fan of what she heard.

"Is he?" She asked, taking a sip if her peppermint mocha.

"I don't know why you left him. He's such a sweetheart."

"How long have you guys been together?" Casey asked, feigning interest.

"A couple months. I'm glad I'm not getting married any more, I could see myself with Randy forever."

_Until he snaps. _Casey thought, still faking that smile as she read Dean's caffeine request.

"Well, I'm glad that you're happy, congrats on the relationship. I've got to take Dean a cup of coffee. It was great talking to you." Casey mumbled as she picked up the Barnes and Noble bag that sat by her feet, a small GameStop bag nestled in there as well. She was a bit upset when Eva Marie stood with her and followed her to the counter.

"So, you're still with Ambrose?" Eva asked and Casey nodded.

"It's kind of obvious." Casey mumbled before ordering plain black coffee and paying for it.

"Have you spoken to your sisters?"

"I saw them the week before Christmas." Casey sighed, accepting the cup with a smile and taking it to the counter where she could add three packets of sugar to Dean's coffee and put the steam stopper in the lid.

"Well, Casey, I just want you to know that I'm replacing you in their minds. I'm better than you'll ever be. Obviously, since I have your ex and I'm with your sisters."

"What are you going to do next, dye your hair brown and join The Shield? You're not Casey Bella, you'll never measure up to the things I've done."

"I'm going to be Diva's Intercontinental Champion, so I'd say that I'm on my way. See you around, I've got to go buy lingerie for my man."

_Bye, whore. _Casey thought to herself with a smirk as she parted way with the dyed red head and stepped onto the escalator heading down to the bottom level where Dean was waiting at the bottom of the escalator.

"What's in the bag?" He asked after kissing her softly and taking the cup with the steam stopper.

"I told you that I got you something, and I got myself something."

"What'd you get me?"

"It's a secret. I know it'll come in handy when we start flying around a lot, again." She explained and he smirked, leading her to the table.

"When's that?"

"I think the tenth, but I'm just throwing numbers out there. I wrote it on the calendar at home." She mumbled as she sat down in his chair, taking off her jacket and letting it hang over his while he sat in the chair Randy was sitting in earlier. "You'll never guess who I saw when I was at Starbucks."

"Eva Marie?"

"You weren't supposed to guess." She pouted playfully, leaning back in her chair and crossing her right leg over her left as she took a drink of her coffee. She looked so relaxed, and he loved it.

"What did she have to say?"

"She started out trying to be nice, and then she told me that she was trying to replace me, and that she was better than me."

"You were the first ever Diva's Intercontinental Champion. How can she top that?" He asked, taking a drink when Mark from Talent and Relations came up to them.

"I dunno. I'm not even worrying about it. My sisters hate her, anyways." She mumbled before smiling up at Mark.

"You two aren't gossiping, are you?"

"Of course not." Casey assured, leaning on the table. "How can I help you, Mark?"

"Randy had something come up, so we were hoping you could fill in for him, since you're here?"

"Of course. I've got nothing better to do, anyways."

"Thanks a ton, Casey."

"I'm getting paid for this, right?"

"Hell, you might get paid double. I know that there's something in your contract that you won't do things unless you were told two days in advance."

"You're fab, Mark." The two high fived and Dean smirked as he walked away.

"He's fab?"

"I was practically guaranteed double pay. How is he not?" She asked with a laugh as the queue began to fill up and there were hushed murmurs of "where's Randy Orton?" and "look, it's Casey Bella", both made her smile and the lines started to move.

Dean loved seeing her interact with the WWE Universe. She hadn't been smiling as bright as she used to, but it seemed like seeing the fans lit up her world in a way that he couldn't as just her boyfriend. It wasn't something that bothered him. It couldn't bother him that she loved her job.


	32. Fucking Snow

"Case, play in the snow with me!"

"Dean Ambrose, you are going to get sick! Put on your coat!" She scolded as he flopped onto a pile of snow without his coat.

"It doesn't snow in Tampa, Case! Come enjoy this!"

"I don't like snow." She muttered, leaning against the lamp post and he sat up, looking at her as if she were insane.

"How do you not like snow?"

"I grew up in Arizona, Dean. You say 'snow', people duck and cover."

"Case, come play in the snow." He ordered, but she didn't budge.

"You're going to be wet the whole flight home, Dean." She sighed and he stood, moving to catch up with her as she walked down the path.

"Casey, what's wrong?"

"Snow and ice go hand-in-hand, falling on ice isn't fun. Therefore, I don't like snow."

"Why are you walking so fast, then?"

"I can walk down a sidewalk, Dean."

"I never said that you couldn't. Why are you so testy all of a sudden?"

"I've been thinking about what Eva Marie said, okay?" She snapped and he pulled her into a headlock and she laughed. "If you DDT me, I swear to god-"

"I would never. I'm just trying to distract you. Whatever Eva Marie told you is bullshit, okay? You're the one and only Casey Bella, and she'll never be that. She can't be _you_, Case." He murmured into her ear as they walked down the sidewalk, with her head still locked in his arm.

"You think so?"

"I know so, kitten." He kissed her head and helped her stand straight before taking her hand, deciding to not complain about how cold his back was because of the cold air mixing with his wet tshirt and skin. "You're wearing your bracelet?"

"I wear it everywhere, Dean. I've only /not/ worn it when I've been in the ring, in the shower, or asleep."

"You really like it?"

"I love it, Dean. It's perfect. Nothing could top this."

"I feel like there's something that would've..." He mumbled, taking his jacket from her shopping bag and she stared up at him.

"Like what?"

"A ring. We've been together eight months. Roman's mom told me that I should've proposed." She stopped walking and turned him to face her.

"Dean, I love you. I'm happy with the way things are, and the way things are going. You don't have to propose until you want to, if you even want to get married. I'm only twenty seven, you're only twenty eight, we have time."

"We do?"

"All the time in the world. I promised you forever when we were making cookies before we opened presents, and I meant forever." She told him before she started walking again, pulling him along by his hand. "A ring on my finger won't change how much I love you, Dean."

* * *

Dean looked down at Casey, who had fallen asleep as soon as the turbulence from takeoff smoothed out. He didn't mind being used as her pillow, he just couldn't wait to get home. He had some research to do, ring wise, and needed to relieve the pent up frustrations from being with Randy by either working out or sex. He'd go with whatever she'd prefer. It was always what she wanted, and that's how he wanted it. He didn't want to scare her off, because if the last times he had screwed shit up between them were and indicator, he wouldn't be able to live without her in his life. He knew that Casey was one in a million, and probably the only woman on the planet that would be able to handle him during his ups and downs, and bad Bengal's seasons.

* * *

"So I was thinking, that maybe we should move this picture frame to this wall, and-"

"Case, we should just buy a bookcase. You can put the picture frames on there, and we can buy a plant or some decorative shit like that." He cut off her mumbling about rearranging the pictures on the walls and gave his own idea, just so she wouldn't be totally pissed about interrupting him.

"I like that idea, actually. We've got a trip to Ikea coming up." He groaned at the thought of leaving the house and she looked up at him. "Are you okay, bunny?"

"Bunny?"

"I dunno. You call me kitten, and I'm sure that if I'd let you, we'd be doing it like rabbits all the time."

"Yeah, probably. But I'm fine, Case. Just a headache." He assured, rubbing her arm. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Dean Ambrose." She teased with a smirk and he sighed.

"What?"

"That's my answer. I want you for dinner." She specified, leaning up and kissing his neck, but instantly pulled back.

"What's wrong?"

"Your skin is so warm."

"I'm a warm blooded mammal, Case."

"No, like, warmer than usual." She murmured, pulling down the sleeve of her sweater to press her wrist to his forehead. "Dean, you're burning up."

"I'm fine, Casey."

"Dean, you're not fine." She argued, getting up from the couch and attempting to pull him up. "Let's go."

"Casey."

"Dean."

"Casey."

"Dean." The stare down between them went on for a couple minutes. Chocolate brown eyes staring into baby blue. Casey still held onto his hand, and he still sat on the couch, only he had sat up straighter instead of leaning back. He put on his best pout, but she didn't fall victim like he expected. She pushed his hair back with her free hand and moved to straddle his lap, moving her hand through his hair to cup the back of his neck. "I just want to take care of you, Dean." She murmured, pressing her lips to his forehead before resting her forehead on his.

"Casey, I'm-" He stopped talking when she pressed her finger to his lips and pressed her lips to his nose.

"Hush, Dean. Just let me take care of you." She whispered, pecking his lips softly.

"I'm fine, Casey. There's no need to make a fuss." He murmured, pecking her lips as she finally released his hand and cupped his cheek.

"You have a fever, babe. Let me take care of you."

"Take care of me?"

"Make you soup and give you medicine."

"Sponge bath?" He asked playfully and she pecked his lips.

"I thought you were fine?" She teased and he smirked.

"You're kissing me, so I must be fine."

"I'm not making out with you until you're healthy."

"But you'll breathe my contaminated air?"

"I've got a rock solid immune system. Now let's get some juice in your system." He nodded and she kissed his cheek with a smile before getting off his lap. "Go get into pajamas and lay down in bed." He nodded again, kissing her forehead before going to their bedroom to do as she instructed.

He wouldn't mind letting her play nurse until he got better.


	33. Poor Baby

"I'm all clogged up, Case." He complained as she brought him a glass of juice and she frowned, pushing his hair back and feeling his forehead.

"Poor thing. You're still burning up, too." She mumbled as she rolled over his lap to sit on his other side.

"I wish being sick didn't suck so bad." He muttered as he drained his juice and she pouted, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I know, bunny. But it's okay, you'll get better. Are you hungry?" She asked and he shook his head before kissing the top of her head.

"No. Just cuddle me."

"You're such a cuddle bug today." She observed and he shrugged.

"Do you not like it?"

"I don't mind. We're going to have to get you in the shower to wash the vapor rub off and according to my mom, the steam will clear your sinuses."

"I love your mom."

"She loves you. Do you wanna nap first and shower later?"

"Shower now, nap later."

"You're going to be in the shower until the water gets cold."

"I'm alright with that. Will you shower with me?" He asked with a cheeky grin and she shook her head with a smile as they got out of the bed.

"I'll sit in the bathroom with you, but I'm not getting in the water." She informed as she walked ahead of him to the bathroom and he wasn't far behind.

"Thank you. I like talking to you."

"I like talking to you, too, Dean. Is that too hot?" She asked and he felt the water, giving a nod of approval as he fiddled with drawstring of his pajama pants. "Let me."

"Thanks. I need to get better soon, Case. I feel vulnerable and- ugh." He complained as he stepped out of his pants and stepped into the shower.

"I'm going to go throw these in the washing machine, and I'll be back."

"Run." He called over the water and she laughed as she walked out of the bathroom and to the washing machine before making her way back to the bathroom, sitting down on the toilet seat and propping her feet on the edge of the bathtub. "I think it's working."

"I hope so. We gotta go to work tomorrow."

"I can't believe I've been sick all weekend."

"This is why we don't play in the snow without a jacket, silly man. But I like taking care of you, babe."

"You do? I've been a little bitch all weekend."

"I'm a bitch all the time. Sometimes you need to let your bitch out."

"I'm a dick, though."

"Which is probably why we're such a strong couple."

"Most likely."

* * *

She got him situated in bed, eventually getting him to lay down. He put his head in her lap and she ran her fingers through his hair and scrolled through her timeline on Twitter when she got an idea and texted Seth and Roman.

'_Do you think Dean will get mad if I post a vine of him sleeping?'_

_'Just do it. Isn't that what he's been doing all weekend, anyways? Lol'_ She didn't expect that response from the big man, that was more of a Seth response.

_'Let the fangirls go rabid on vine and tumblr. Please.'_ THAT was a Seth response and she couldn't wait to watch the world end over fifteen seconds of her boyfriend sleeping. So she opened Vine and recorded the video. It was simply her petting his head. You could see her hand moving through his hair, and his sleeping profile. The best part was the little nose scrunch he did halfway through before relaxing his face. The caption was simple. _'Our weekend in a nutshell.' _and then she texted the guys.

_'Let the madness begin.'_

She then went to Tumblr and checked the Ambrella tag and saw that her vine had been put in a post as a video and was officially her favorite just because of the comment: _**THE FUCKING NOSE SCRUNCH *dead***_

"What are you doing?" He mumbled and she closed tumblr and set her phone down.

"I was on tumblr. No big deal. How are you feeling?"

"I'm clogged up again."

"Poor baby. Do you want medicine?"

"No. Touch my hair, please." He begged and she complied.

"Maybe I should make you some soup? I'll let you migrate to the couch." She offered and he shook his head.

"Stay with me, Case. I'm not hungry. I'm not thirsty. I just want my kitten."

"I have to pack our bags for RAW tomorrow, and you're taking medicine before we leave for the airport tomorrow." She demanded and he nodded.

"Pack later. Focus on me."

"Alright." She sighed as he sat up and pulled her close to him.

"Thank you, kitten. I owe you big time, I know."

"Damn straight. But we'll worry about that later." She mumbled as he started to cough into his arm and she pat his back. "That sounds awful, bunny."

"Feels worse." He groaned and she frowned. "I really want chocolate milk."

"No dairy. That'll make your cough worse. I'll make you some tea?"

"Okay. Can I come with you?"

"If I said no, I'm sure you'd come along anyways."

"Yeah, probably." He attempted a chuckle, but ended up coughing again. "I'll take some medicine while we're in the kitchen."

"Good boy."

"Shut it, girlie." He threatened with a smirk and she rolled her eyes as he followed her down the hall.

"I'm sure I can take you down while you're sick."

"Even sick, I weigh about a hundred pounds more than you. You can only lift one sixty comfortably." He taunted as she filled up her tea kettle with water and set it on the stove.

"Yeah, but I can take away my nursing and make you cope on your own." She countered, hopping up to sit on the bar counter opposite him.

"I've been coping on my own since I was like six. You abandoning me wouldn't be a big deal." He mumbled and she stared at him for a moment.

"What?" She asked after a second, hoping that she had misheard him somehow.

"I told you my mom was busy."

"Too busy to take care of her own kid?"

"She was busy trying to take care of me, Case. I didn't have my dad in my life, I still don't know who the fucker is. My mom was on her own, and in her trying to take care of me by getting money in unsavory ways, I was kind of on my own most of the time. It's no big deal." He explained and she nodded, having not heard much about his childhood. He didn't like to talk about it and she didn't like to pry.

"It kind of is, Dean. I wouldn't have said what I said if I had known." She murmured and he moved so that he stood between her legs and placed his arms around her torso, holding her close and resting his head on her shoulder.

"I know you wouldn't have. Can you get that medicine, though?"


	34. Apologies

During their flight to Kansas for RAW, Dean was restless. Still sick, but not tired in the slightest. Casey had told him that the medicine would make him drowsy. That wasn't the case. He had nobody to talk to, because she and Roman were sleeping and Seth was in the middle row listening to whatever it was he listened to. Lord knows that Casey needed to get some sleep and peace of mind for a couple hours, since he's been needy and vulnerable all weekend. Even when he was asleep, he clung to her and she never tried to slip away. Hell, he didn't even let her shower alone.

* * *

_"Casey, can you turn the hot water up?" He heard her sigh, but she complied and toyed with the knob, but moved so that he was under the water and not her. "And when you're done in the shower can you make me some tea?"_

_"Sure thing. I'll even get your clothes out and pack your suitcase." He didn't detect the pissy sarcasm in her tone, he was too grateful that she'd do all that for him._

_"You're the best, y'know that?" He murmured into her hair and he heard her sigh again._

* * *

Roman shifted beside him and laid his head on Dean's shoulder, something the blonde didn't mind. They had the middle seat pact. If you were in the middle, you played pillow without complaint. Nobody snored so Dean didn't mind, and usually he was asleep on their flights. He looked down at his hand and saw that Casey had searched out his hand sometime during the flight and smiled. He liked how their hands looked together, her hand fit perfectly in his, her skin was so soft compared to his, too.

_I love you, Casey Bella,_ He thought to himself with a smile. _you perfect creature._

* * *

"Casey, we need to chat." Nikki and Brie said as soon as they spotted her and she sighed.

"You gonna be okay without me?" She asked and Dean nodded.

"I'm sick, not dying." He teased and she kissed his cheek before walking up to meet her sisters down the hall and he walked to The Shield locker room with both of their bags.

"Where's Bells?" Seth asked and Dean shrugged, disregarding the nickname.

"Talking to her sisters. They better not upset her, or we'll be having problems." He warned them and the two nodded.

Meanwhile, Casey was sitting in a random locker room with her sisters listening to them ramble an apology.

"...it just wasn't right. You're our little sister and we love you. We shouldn't have acted that way when you finally found somebody that, after the whole Randy thing, you trusted and loved." Brie stated and Casey nodded.

"And we're sorry." Nikki added, again, to which Casey nodded. "You were nothing but happy for us in our relationships, and it's not fair to you, or to Dean, that we acted that way when he was just doing his job."

"I accept your apology, but you should also apologize to Dean. I've been waiting for you two to mention him in this, because it's not just me anymore. He's such a huge part of my life, anything that happens to me, affects him."

"You're right, and we will." Brie stated and Nikki nodded as Casey stood.

"Well, this has been a nice sibling exchange. If you two could inform Eva Marie that I _will_ kick her ass next time she makes a comment about replacing me, I'd appreciate it."

"I think we should make a statement during your match against her." Brie suggested and Casey nodded.

"Whatever works. I'll see you both later." Casey called and walked towards The Shield's locker room with a skip in her step. The boys noticed it when she walked into the room, but everyone frowned when Dean started coughing.

"Oh, bunny." Casey cooed, patting his back supportively while Seth and Roman shared a look of amusement at the pet name.

"I'm good. I'm good."

"It's a pretty good thing you're not in the match tonight." Roman stated and Dean nodded.

"I'm sure if I was, Casey would beg Brad to pull me out."

"I probably would. But can you blame me?" She laughed and he kissed her forehead as she pulled her shirt down.

"What did your sisters want?"

"To apologize. I accepted because they finally understood that it's not just me that them being bitches has affected, it's been affecting you too. Tonight, I have every intention of beating down Eva Marie, hope you guys don't mind." She added, since she was technically tagging with Seth and Roman.

"Punish away. Watching you in the ring is always fun." Seth stated, high fiving the small brunette.

* * *

_"The following contest is a six man mixed tag team match scheduled for one fall._

_**"Sierra Hotel India Echo Lima Delta. The Shield."**_

_"Approaching the ring first: accompanied by the United States Champion Dean Ambrose. Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Diva's Champion Casey Bella. The Shield."_

_Never in her life had she ever been tripped, but somebody in the audience tried to. Dean caught her , though and kept a tight grip around her waist while they walked down the steps and she hopped over the barricade without any assistance from the guys, which was a victory in itself for her._

_"Are you okay?" Dean asked and she nodded as they entered the ring._

_"I've never been tripped before in my life." She mumbled as Justin Roberts began to announce the other team._

_"You were tripped?" Roman asked and she nodded as Dean coughed into his arm._

_"Even with this loud ass crowd that shit sounds terrible." Seth commented and Dean scowled at him._

_"I'm fine. Focus on your match, and not on me." He muttered as he took Casey's belt and got out of the ring. Eva Marie volunteered to start the match and Casey stepped forward with a smirk as Seth and Roman stepped onto the apron._

_Eva Marie charged, to which Casey jumped into a drop kick. Something that made Roman and Seth cheer. Dean wasn't going to try to yell over the crowd, so he just clapped as Casey carried Eva Marie up by her tights and went to ram her into the post, but the dyed red head managed to stand straight and leg sweep Casey before ramming her shoulder first into the post._

_"Get up!" Seth shouted, leaning over the top rope and Roman did the same._

_"Come on, Bella!" Casey managed to stand just as Eva Marie tagged in Zack Ryder and Casey tagged in Seth, who used the rope as a springboard and hit Ryder with a missile drop kick._

_"You okay?" Roman asked and she nodded, rubbing her shoulder._

_"I will be. I've just got to keep moving it."_

_"You won't be spearing anybody tonight."_

_"I'll leave that to you." She joked and he chuckled._

_"Damn straight. Don't let him tag!" Roman shouted when Ryder tried to escape Seth's sleeper hold._

_"Come on, Seth!" Casey cheered as Seth kicked Ryder upside the head and dove in for the pin. Ryder kicked out at two and Roman leaned over the ropes for Seth to tag as Ryder lifted the two toned man on his shoulders._

_"If we lose to these clowns, Dean will blow a gasket." Roman sighed and Casey nodded._

_"The last thing I'm interested in is dealing with him sick and pissy." She sighed and the Samoan pat her back._

_"You'll be okay. He wouldn't take it out on you."_

_"I don't want him to take it out on anybody." She stated as Roman got the tag and speared Gabriel before getting the pin. The quartet didn't bother for an in-ring celebration, they all just left the ring area._

* * *

"What the hell happened?" Dean rasped and the three looked at him quizzically.

"What the hell are you talking about? We won, didn't we?" Seth asked as he took off his shirt and Roman nodded as he unzipped his vest.

"That was supposed to be a squash match. Yet somehow, you two came up short." Dean pointed at Casey and Seth and Casey rose an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, _I_ came up short?" Casey shot back and Dean nodded as he took off his shirt. "I got rammed into that fucking post. I didn't see you in the match." Both Seth and Roman exchanged a look at her tone as she took off her shirt.

"I'm sick." He argued as Casey put on her black wife beater and dropped her cargo pants, her boots having been taken off as soon as they got backstage.

"Trust me, I know. While you're being a dick, please keep in mind that _I'm_ the person that's been filling up your juice cup and making you tea whenever you ask for it." She spat as she shimmied into her dark wash jeans and buttoned them over her tank top.

"I'm not being a dick. And I said thank you."

"A grand total of four times, Dean! But it's not about gratitude, this is about your attitude. We fight and we win, and you're being a dick after doing nothing but bitching and moaning about how sick you are. You're sick because of your stupidity, and you've got one shot at denying it." She challenged and he glared down at her. Seth and Roman exchanged another glance as she slipped on her black classic vans and all three watched as she walked out of the locker room.

"She didn't take her phone." Dean mumbled and the two others looked at him as he changed his pants.

"We accept your apology." Seth stated and Roman nodded as Dean pulled a plain tshirt over his head and sat down beside her bag.

"But you owe her an apology and a huge ass thank you for her taking care of you." Roman reasoned and Dean nodded.

"I know. I've just gotta give her time to relax and unwind. She's probably out by the loading docks." Dean mumbled as a knock sounded on their locker room door and Roman went to answer it.

"Woah, hello Mr. Six Pack." Nikki greeted and Roman chuckled.

"Where's Dean?" Brie asked and Dean stood, pushing passed Roman and shutting the door behind him.

"What's up?" He asked and both twins grimaced.

"You look like shit." Nikki commented and he nodded.

"Feel like it, too. What do you want?"

"To apologize to you for how we've been acting. It was completely unfair to you-"

"And Casey." Nikki added, seeing Dean raise an eyebrow.

"And Casey. We want to start fresh, and we hope you want to, as well." Brie finished and Nikki nodded.

"I'm game. Thank you for apologizing."

"Thank you for accepting. We'll see you later." Nikki called as they walked down the hall and he waved as he reentered the locker room and grabbed his coat from his bag before heading out to the loading docks. Sure enough, she was sitting on a crate beside a production truck. He crept up and hopped onto the crate beside her, draping his coat across her shoulders.

"Hey." He mumbled and she only nodded. "I'm sorry. I was being a dick. I just like us looking good, and us getting it handed to us by midcards pissed me off. I didn't mean what I said about you and Seth, you're both great in the ring. I know that you've been taking good care of me, not just this weekend, but the whole eight and a half months we've been together. So I'm sorry for not thanking you as much as I should have. And if you apologize after this, I swear to god I will DDT you." He finished with an attempted chuckle that turned into a cough and he small smile turned into a frown.

"Let's get you inside, okay?" He nodded and they slid off of the crate together, Dean wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her tight to his body. "I forgive you, by the way."

"Thank you. I accepted your sisters' apology."

"That's cool. So did I."


	35. Work Out

"What kind of soup do you want?" She asked from where she stood in Target, examining the canned soups on the shelves.

_"Fun soup."_ He groaned from the other line and she made a face.

"What the hell does that mean?"

_"Campbell's makes fun soup. Don't get that healthy chick shit or that super manly lookin' shit either. I don't want potatoes in my soup."_ She laughed and picked up a plain can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup and read the label.

"There's so much sodium in this, Dean."

_"Good thing I'm not on a diet."_

"Such an ass." She mumbled under her breath as he began coughing.

_"Can you buy more cough medicine?"_

"I can. Are we out of juice?" She asked as she put a lot of soup in her basket and made her way to the juice.

_"Yeah. Buy chocolate syrup."_

"Babe, you can't have dairy. No milk, and no ice cream."

_"Fuck."_ She turned onto the snack isle and investigated the food there.

"I'll pick up some trail mix though. There's m&ms, yummy raisins, and nuts. I know how much you love those." She teased and he huffed.

_"Oh ha ha. We'll see who's laughing when I ban you from my nuts."_

"You'd spontaneously combust. Do you want the trail mix or not?"

"Can you get the fancy m&ms trail mix? It has pretzels and-"

"What is up with you and all these high calorie cravings while you're sick?"

_"I'll share?"_ He stated in more of a questioning tone and she sighed.

"Only because you're sick." She muttered as she dropped the m&ms trail mix in her basket and got trail mix that she actually approved of, as well.

_"Are you on your way home yet?" _He whined and she shook her head.

"I have to get your juice, and then I have to get your medicine, and then I have to pay for everything."

_"This sucks, Case."_

"Yeah, well, you should've worn your jacket. Just take a nap, and I should be home by the time you wake up."

_"What if you're not?"_

"Then I'll make little Dean very happy." She murmured lowly into the phone, putting two bottles of orange juice with pulp in her basket.

_"Just the thought is making him very happy."_

"I bet. Now get some rest."

_"Mhm. I love you."_

"I love you, too."

_"I miss you already."_ He murmured and she could hear the exhaustion in his tone.

"Dean."

_"I know. I'm going to sleep, now. Be safe out there, babe."_

"I will." She hung up on him and resumed her shopping adventure, happily humming along with whatever songs they played on the radio until she reached the check out counter. The cashier looked at her, scoffed, and rang up everything.

_Must not be a Bella fan._ Casey mused to herself with a small smile. She did love being hated by people who weren't active parts of her life.

"Have a nice day." Casey called as she carried her bags to her car and set them in the passenger's seat before getting in her car and heading home.

* * *

True to her word, she was home before he woke up. So she made his soup and brought the bowl to him with a fresh glass of juice.

"Hey hon, I'm home." She said softly and he begun to stir before finally sitting up and smiling at her tiredly.

"I missed you, kitten."

"I know you did, bunny. But I'm home now, I made you soup, and I made you juice." He took the bowl from her slowly and she set the juice on the nightstand before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Thank you. I thought shit like this was only supposed to last a couple days."

"I don't think most people exert themselves with sex while they're sick. I think exercise makes you worse." She thought aloud, pushing his fluffy curls out of his face while he made a face.

"Your lies will not kill my sex drive, Miss Bella. It's hard to not have a boner when your girlfriend is hotter than hell, and doesn't even have to try." She blushed at his compliment and he slurped his soup.

"Honey don't slurp. That's the most obnoxious noise ever."

"Sorry."

"It's okay. You should've seen the way the cashier looked at me."

"Was it like the looks you give Aksana whenever she walks by you?" He asked, stirring the soup.

"Yes, actually. Why are you stirring it?"

"I dunno."

"Are you not hungry?"

"Not anymore." He mumbled and she frowned. "I'm sorry, Case. I was hungry when you brought it, and then my stomach turned off or something."

"I'll go put it in the microwave and I'll hear it up when you get hungry."

"Thanks, babe." He mumbled as she took his bowl and walked out of the room.

* * *

He had convinced her to watch Point Break with him, but she fell asleep ten minutes in. He didn't mind, though, because he got to hold her while she slept, which was something he hadn't done since he got sick. It was always him with his head on her shoulder, on her chest, or in her lap. He loved the way she pressed her face to his neck and clung tight to his shirt.

"I love you, Casey."

"I love you, too, Dean." She mumbled and he smiled, continuing to rub her side beneath the fabric of her tshirt.

* * *

"I don't like this." She muttered as he drove to the cross fit gym they were meeting Seth and Roman at.

"Casey, I can't get flabby." He countered and she sighed.

"You're going to end up killing yourself."

"I won't push myself, Case. I know my limits." They shared a glance as he parked the car and she saw the confidence in his while he saw the concern in hers. "Hey, I'm invincible." He assured, reaching out and cupping her cheek.

"That's the shit people say before they get killed, Dean. I refuse to have to sit at your bedside in a hospital because you're being stubborn."

"Case, I'll be fine." She rolled her eyes and he sighed. "Kitten, please, I'll only go an hour instead of two."

"You shouldn't be here period." She stated simply as she got out of the car and he was quick to follow. "I'll keep my mouth shut, but just know that I don't like this."

"I know you don't. But you're letting it happen because it's something that I want to do and you love me. I love you, too, kitten." He murmured, wrapping his arm tight around her waist and pulling her to him.

"I do love you, bunny."

"I saw that Vine of me sleeping. I didn't know I was so cute."

"Your nose scrunch is popular."

"I saw that." He chuckled as they reached Seth and Roman and they all did their little handshakes with one another.

"You're letting him work out?" Roman asked as he and Casey split off to work on the bars. "We're doing knees-to-elbows."

"Gotcha." She grunted as she hopped onto the bar and Roman stood beneath her until she confirmed that she had the bar. "But he's stubborn as hell. All I can do is complain and huff and hope he changes his mind. He just doesn't want to get flabby."

"God forbid." Roman chuckled and she nodded.

"I almost called Regal to beg him to tell Dean to slow down, but that wouldn't get me anywhere."

"It wouldn't. Word on the street is that Regal and DeMott want you helping to train newbies at the Performance Center and NXT."

"Who told you?" She asked in a hushed whisper and he glanced over at her as they both dropped to the ground.

"Regal."

"Oh, good. I haven't told Dean, yet. I'm sure he wouldn't mind, because that's more money, but that's less time I get to spend with him."

"I'm sure Regal would let him tag along. Dean's his prodigy." Roman reasoned and she shrugged as she hopped back onto the bar and just hung there.

"Just don't tell anybody. I don't want word getting out until I have an answer for them. I was going to talk to Dean about it when he got better."

"Secrets safe with me."

"Thanks, Rome."

* * *

"So Seth told me something interesting while we were working out." Dean started as they got back to their apartment and she looked over at him, shedding her tshirt and heading to the washing machine. He followed behind, shedding his shoes and pressing her against the dryer. "You got an offer to train rookies at the Performance Center and didn't tell me?"

"Regal just called a couple days ago. I was waiting until you got better to talk to you about it."

"If you took the job, what would your schedule look like?"

"My travel schedule wouldn't change, neither would my commitments to signings, photo shoots, and the like. I'd just have to put in at least two days a week- one in Tampa and one in Orlando." She gasped when he lifted her onto the dryer and pulled her shorts and underwear down, taking her socks off as well and throwing them into the washing machine, leaving her in just her sports bra.

"I can live with that, Case." He mumbled as he bent down and kissed her belly button.

"Dean, no. You just worked out, you're not- fuck." She moaned out as he slipped two fingers into her sex and started to suck on her clit.

"Let me take care of you, Case." He mumbled and she nodded, leaning back and letting him do as he wanted. He pulled his fingers out and shoved his tongue in, circling her clit with his index and middle fingers. He focused on every noise she made, he loved that he could make her lose all coherent trains of thought with just his mouth and two fingers. He knew her body so well, he knew all her tells. She never had to tell him when she was about to cum, he knew, he just liked hearing her say it. The way her pitch changed when she released her orgasm could probably make him cum then and there, and has on a couple occasions. "Call Regal in the morning and tell him that you'll start after the new year." He murmured as he stood, pulling her sports bra off and lifting her onto his shoulder to carry her into their bedroom.

"Shirt." She mumbled as he laid her on the bed and he nodded, grabbing a shirt from his closet and helping her put it on.

"I'm going to put my shorts in the wash." He told her and she nodded, laying back and falling asleep. He loved watching her sleep, but he was also really tired so he just laid in bed and was out like a light before his head hit the pillow.


	36. Some Fatherly Advice

"Just wear your flannel shirt and the jeans you just bought. It's just dinner with my sisters, John, and Daniel. No huge deal." She suggested as he searched through their closet.

"You sure?"

"You're my boyfriend, not theirs."

"You're right."

"Get dressed, and be prepared for the Total Divas cameras to be there." She mumbled the Total Divas part quietly, knowing that he'd pick that up.

"Seriously?" He asked, poking his head out of the closet and she nodded, tousling her hair as she walked towards him.

"I don't like it either, but I've been given no choice. We're just lucky I haven't been invited on the show."

"Did you want to be?"

"Hell no." She laughed, kissing his lips. "I love that you're healthy now." She mumbled against his lips and he smirked.

"I knew that you missed kissing me."

"Your lips are just so soft."

"Chapstick. Are you wearing lip gloss?" He asked, licking his lips.

"The gloss you like."

"It's been a while." He mumbled, kissing her lips again. This time, she stood on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I wouldn't wear it just to tease you."

"I appreciate it. Sorry for not shaving."

"Never apologize to me for not shaving. I like your scruff." She murmured into his ear, pressing her cheek to his. "Now get dressed, handsome."

"Sure thing, gorgeous." He gave her ass a gentle pat as she released him before going into the bathroom to fix her lip gloss.

* * *

"You two look so cute." Brie greeted hugging Casey and Dean before letting the younger couple sit down in the large, rounded booth. Sure enough, the cameras were rolling and he had to hold back a sigh.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Dean." Nikki stated and Dean nodded.

"So am I." He said simply as the waiter came to collect their drink orders.

"So when are you two going to get married?" Daniel asked and John's ears perked up, awaiting a response.

"Well, I'd have to propose first. But we've got all the time in the world." Dean explained, pulling Casey into his side and she smiled.

"I don't need a ring on my finger to know that he loves me." Casey said softly and her sisters awhed when Dean kissed her head before they started looking through the menu together.

"I'm not excited about being asked that on television." He whispered in her ear and she nodded.

"It's not airing for another few months, and I don't like it either." She whispered back and he nodded.

"They have ice cream, Case."

"Yeah, you'd have to eat your dinner first."

"You're such a spoil sport. On the way home, can we buy ice cream?"

"Why are you asking me, when you're the one driving?" She asked, looking up at him and the look of realization cross his face.

"On the way home, we're going to stop and buy ice cream."

"There you go."

"So Casey's been nursing you back to health?" Brie asked as they set their menu down and Dean nodded.

"Did a damn good job, too."

"Did you buy a little outfit?" Nikki asked and Casey shook her head.

"I was playing nurse, not stripper." She teased and Nikki playfully flipped her off across the table.

"Such a bitch."

"My last name is Bella. They're synonyms."

"True." Everyone at the table said in unison before laughing.

* * *

"When you said stop to get ice cream, I thought you meant at a store." She stated when he pulled in to Coldstone and got out of the car.

"This is a store." He said with a teasing grin and she rolled her eyes.

"Not what I meant and you know it, Ambrose." She said as they got out of the car and both were grateful that it was kind of busy in the store. Dean grabbed a hat and put it on while Casey just kept moving. "Are we getting a pint, too?"

"I figured that we could eat our ice cream here and buy a pint on the way out."

"That works for me." She mumbled as they entered the store and he wrapped his arm around her waist.

* * *

"I was expecting dinner with your sisters to go much worse than it did." He said and she nodded, eating a spoonful of her ice cream. "You and your pussy bowl." He teased and she laughed.

"I got the largest size, fucker."

"Yeah, but that's a bowl. Look at me with my manly waffle cone."

"I'm going to push your manly waffle cone into your face."

"I dare you to try." He put on a straight face and she looked down at her ice cream and scooped some, waited until he went back to his "manly" cone, and smeared her ice cream on his cheek. "You clever wench." He chuckled and she laughed. "Lick it clean."

"I would if we were at home. I'll go get you a napkin."

"Thank you." He mumbled when she came back and wiped his cheek clean for him. "Your ice cream is really good."

"I know."

* * *

"You know what I get to do tonight?" He asked as she put the ice cream in the freezer and she shrugged, making her way to their bedroom.

"Not get laid because I have to be at NXT at seven thirty?"

"Shit, really?" He asked as she took off her shirt and he followed her lead.

"Regal said that you were invited." She mumbled, unbuttoning her jeans as she walked to the bathroom.

"Well, I still get to hold you while we sleep, so I'm still excited."

"That excites you?" She asked when he entered the bathroom to pee while she removed whatever makeup she was wearing.

"You have no idea. It's been five days, Casey. Five whole days. That's not even fair. I love it when you cuddle me, but I love holding you, more." He explained, washing his hands before she shimmied out of her jeans and tossed them into the washing machine on her way back to the bedroom.

"Are you coming with me tomorrow or not? I need to know now."

"Why?"

"So I know whether or not I need to get up at seven or six forty-five."

"Yeah, I'll go."

* * *

"Good morning." Casey greeted Regal, who was alone in the training center.

"Their practice doesn't start until seven forty-five." He informed and the couple nodded on their way to the locker rooms.

"Why are we here at seven fifteen?" Dean asked and she shrugged.

"I was hoping that you'd want to roll around in the ring with me for a bit."

"Do you want me in trunks?" He asked and she shook her head.

"I don't need rookies knowing what you're packing. Shirtless is fine, but I'd like you wearing shorts."

"You got it, sweetheart." He kissed her head before entering the men's locker room and she went into the women's.

* * *

"I like you grip, but your stance is off." He told her and they released each other.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Lock up again." He instructed and she complied. "Where your leg is, all I have to do is sweep mine and have you on the ground. See?" He swept her leg and she hit the mat gently.

"Oh." He helped her stand and she nodded.

"You okay?"

"I'm good."

"Do you want to just go at it?" He asked and she shrugged.

"If you want to."

* * *

Regal watched closely as the two sparred. Ambrose and Bella were a lovely couple, and he could see that they didn't let the fact that they shared a bed lessen up on how rough they were with one another. Eventually Casey's group came for their training session, but Regal told them all to sit and watch closely, because anybody could learn a lot from watching those two go at it. Ambrose's brawling technique combined with Casey's agility and high flying maneuvers made for an interesting match up, and was entertaining to watch. Ambrose managed to lock her in the Regal Stretch and that was when Regal's watch was closest.

"Tap out or pass out, Case. I haven't taught you how to get out of this."

"I don't need you to teach me how to get out of it." She grunted, somehow managing to her leg free, which stunned Ambrose and made him loosen up so she could squirm out of his grasp, bounce off the ropes for momentum, and drop kick him as he stood.

"All right. I think you two have done enough damage to each other." Regal called and the couple stood.

"You did good, babe." Dean complimented and she smiled.

"Thanks." They high fived and Dean rolled out of the ring, seeing Regal gesture for his attention while Casey introduced herself to the group of trainees.

"Sit." Regal instructed and Dean didn't argue, he would never argue. "How've you been?"

"I've been good. Better than the last time I've seen you, that's for sure."

"That's good to hear. You were in a bad place." Dean nodded, scratching the back of his head.

"Still kind of am. But I'm getting better." Regal nodded, surveying the man before him.

"Is it Miss Bella?"

"It is. I've actually got a question for you." Dean knew that the only person he could ask this question was Regal. Regal wouldn't tease him about this, and Regal was the only person he knew and trusted enough to ask this question.

"Oh?"

"How did you know when you were ready to get married?" Regal looked a bit stunned to hear that question from Ambrose, he assumed it was a technical question involving ring work.

"Being perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting this from you." Regal chuckled and Dean rubbed his neck. "But I can't say that I'm not proud of you for finding somebody you're considering marriage with and not just a one night stand."

"I love her, Regal."

"I can see it in your eyes. I'd say that I knew I was ready for marriage when I had a good time going shopping with her. Because if you can have fun doing the most absolute boring things with her, you know that you can handle a lifetime with her." The two men shared a laugh and Dean thought about what Regal said. "But you can't propose and expect all your problems to go away, Dean. You two need to be open with one another about /everything/. I know her just as well as I know you, and I know that you probably haven't been open with her about your childhood."

"I mentioned that my mom wasn't around much, and she probably picked up on the fact that I don't even know my father."

"You need to lay that out for her. Don't just let her make assumptions."

"So lay it all out, and then propose?"

"Put some time in between the two events, but essentially, yes."

"Thank you."

"Dean, you know I'm here for you if you need it."

"I do, and I appreciate it." The men shook hands as they stood and Regal clapped Dean on the back as they made their way out to where Casey was instructing.


	37. Lunch With The Guys

"What did Regal want from you?" She asked as he drove them home and he shrugged.

"He was just checking on me, seeing how I was doing, shit like that." She nodded and started playing with the radio. "I really hate your car."

"You said that you wanted to drive it." She teased and he rolled his eyes.

"Mine is low on gas, and I know you're OCD about your gas tank. Are you flying back to Florida for your training shit while we're gone?" He asked and she nodded.

"I will for Tampa days. DeMott doesn't want to overwork me. He still hasn't understood that I thrive on being worked. Regal gets me, though, so I'll be surprising DeMott on Wednesday."

"We have a press day."

"You guys have a press day. I have a phone interview with Bleacher Report at noon. I can do that from Orlando, and then I'll be in Tampa Thursday, and Friday I'll be at the house show and the signing with you and the guys." She explained and he nodded.

"You're going to run yourself ragged, babe."

"Money is money, and we're not going to know if I can handle it unless I try." He sighed and she looked over at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. You need to expand what you're doing so that way if something were to end your wrestling career, you could still do stuff related to the company without stressing about being new to it."

"You don't like it, though." She mumbled and he shrugged.

"I'm not always going to like what you have to do, and I know that tables will be flipped in the future. It's just part of our jobs. Work is work and money is money. We do need to start investing more in our future, house and kids, shit like that. Money is a key part of investing."

"House and kids?" She repeated, not expecting that from him.

"I said forever and I meant it. A house and kids are part of forever, Case."

"Can we get a dog?" She asked with a smile and he looked over at her as he stopped at a red light.

"A dog?"

"Like a pug or something cute like that." He grinned at the thought of them owning a pug, of all things.

"I was hoping that we could get a big dog."

"We can do that, too. They can be our kids before we have kids." She suggested and he nodded as the light turned green and he held her hand in his.

"We'll have to get a bigger place and a more steadier schedule for that, babe."

"That'll be a while."

"I promise you that it'll happen, Case." He assured, bringing their joined hands to his lips and kissing her knuckles.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"I love you, Dean." She mumbled, leaning over and kissing his cheek.

"I love you, too, Case."

* * *

"JBL calls me the soon-to-be Mrs. Ambrose." Casey mumbled as she met up with Wade and Brad for lunch and the two men laughed.

"What do you expect, you're with him almost twenty-four seven." Brad chided and she rolled her eyes. "But we're glad that you have him." He added, lightly patting her hand before going back to his menu as she sipped her shirley temple.

"What's he doing, anyways?" Wade asked and she shrugged.

"Seth told me that they had to go do some guy ritual that they've been doing together since they were all in developmental. I dunno, and I don't really care. He's a big boy." Casey explained and her two friends nodded.

"Seth and Roman are pretty cool. Intimidating, but cool." Brad complimented and Casey rose an eyebrow.

"Aren't you technically our boss?" She asked and he shrugged.

"What's your point?"

"Why the hell are you afraid of people who are technically beneath you on the corporate ladder?" Wade asked and Brad looked between his two friends, cup of Pepsi in hand and the straw was barely between his lips.

"Fuck you both, okay?" Wade and Casey burst into laughter, not caring that they weren't the only people in the restaurant they were having lunch at. "I'm going to beat you both up."

"You can't even take Ryback, you think you can take me on?" Wade asked and Casey nodded as Brad tried to glare her down.

"Dean fights my battles for me." She stated simply with a smirk on her face.

"Fuck."

"Just keep being the general manager. I feel like your life would be easier." Casey suggested and Wade nodded in agreement.

"And your body would be intact."

"I do have a nice body." Brad winked at Casey suggestively and she rolled her eyes.

"I like Dean's more."

"I'm taller than him!" Brad argued and Casey scoffed.

"By an inch!"

"I'm six seven." Wade mumbled and the two looked over at him from where he was leaned back in his chair, drinking his Pepsi in amusement.

"Nobody asked you, Barrett." Brad muttered and Casey sighed.

"Bad news Barrett." She muttered before they all started laughing again. "Brad, do you know if I have a match for Main Event? Somebody mentioned me stepping in for Layla, but I haven't heard anything else about that."

"No. Vickie put Natalya in Layla's place as per the request of The Authority. But there will be a poll on the app to see who your tag partners are going to be on RAW next week."

"Tag partners?"

"Twelve man mixed tag. You and the rest of your band of thugs and the choices are your sisters, The Funkadactyls, or AJ Lee and Tamina Snuka."

"I'd prefer my sisters. Can you put in a fix?"

"I doubt it. I'll try, but I doubt it'll work."

"Thanks, Brad."

"What are friends in high places for?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Dean was pacing their hotel room while Seth and Roman sat on the bed and watched.

"You're sure she bought your bogus lie?" He asked and Seth nodded.

"It wasn't a bogus lie, but yes, she bought it. She went to lunch with Brad and Wade anyways."

"Why are you pacing?" Roman asked, but was ignored by the blonde.

"I didn't mean that. I just don't want her to find out. I don't even have a plan, yet."

"Ask her to marry you during one of the shows." Seth suggested and Dean shook his head.

"She wouldn't like being put on the spot like that in international television. Not saying that would change her answer, but it might bother her." Roman reasoned and Dean nodded, flopping onto the floor.

"That hurt my ass." Dean groaned and Seth bit back a chuckle and Roman slapped his shoulder. "But that makes sense. Case and I are pretty private people, like she won't even do Total Divas."

"But she's on the show so much." Seth half whined and Dean shrugged. "We could all be stars and land movie deals, does she know what she's holding us back from!? Ow, shit. " Roman smacked the two toned man upside the head and Dean nodded his appreciation.

"She doesn't want the cameras around us all the time. Like, she's fine with being around the cameras when she's with her sisters for their sake, but if we had cameras following us around she'd be uncomfortable and so would I."

"Makes sense." Roman stated. "Why don't you just ask her on your anniversary?"

"I need it to be special, though. I want to ask her then, but I don't think I can hold water long enough, and I should probably ask her parents for their blessing, too. Fuck, guys." Dean rambled, laying back on the floor.

"First you need to relax, Dean. Deep breaths. Do you want one of us to hang on to the ring?"

"Yeah, Casey unpacks my suitcase and I don't need her finding it on accident." Dean mumbled and Roman caught the small box after the blonde dug it out of his pocket. "Thanks, man. I'll figure something out."

"Figure what out?" Casey asked as she entered the hotel room and everything went dead quiet. "Were you guys not done with your ritual thing? Nobody answered their phone and- you guys didn't sacrifice a virgin, did you?" She joked as she shut the door and the three laughed.

"You're good, Case." Roman cleared and she smiled as she stepped more into the room and set her phone on the TV stand as Dean sat up

"Come here, babe." He pat his lap as she slid out of her knit cardigan and she tossed it onto their stacked suitcases before sitting in his lap and feeling his arms hold her close to him. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too. Brad and Wade say hello to all three of you."

"I'll say hi when I see him at the show." Seth said and she nodded.

"What's that box, Rome?" Casey asked and his eyes widened.

"It's- uhm- really embarrassing, actually. It's for my mom."

"Awh, cute!" Casey gushed and the three men shared a look around her as Roman tucked the box away in his sweatshirt pocket. "What did you guys do today?"

"Operation: Get Roman's Mom A Kickass Gift." Dean stated simply.

"And we got lunch." Seth added and Casey nodded.

"I'm glad you guys had fun."

"Yep. We'll let you guys be together alone, we'll see you tomorrow for CrossFit." Seth said, ruffling Dean's hair and lightly slapping Casey's cheek.

"Fuck you."

"Fucker." The couple complained in unison and Seth dashed out of the room, Roman gently patting the couple's heads on his way out as his own silent farewell and shut the door behind him.

"How was lunch with the guys?" Dean asked and she shrugged as she stood up and he stood with her.

"It was lunch with the guys. We laughed and I had a good time. How was your bro time?"

"Pretty good. Some chick tried hitting on me, but I politely ignored her and made my way to the bathroom. And I've been doing some thinking."

"Did you hurt yourself?" She teased with a smirk as she brushed her hair out to correct Seth's fuckery.

"Such a bitch." He mumbled into her ear and she grinned. "Next time we have a couple days off, I was thinking that maybe we could go see your parents?"

"I'd like that."

"I bet you would. Are we going out to dinner tonight?" He asked and she shrugged, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Did you want to? I thought that you just wanted to order room service."

"Is that what you want to do?"

"I don't care. I just want to be with you." She murmured, pressing her face into his neck.

"We'll stay in for dinner. I haven't seen you all day and I missed your pretty face." He told her, kissing her head and holding her close to his body.


	38. Unicorns

_'Hey, haven't had any sister time lately, wanna go lingerie shopping with me before the show? Just you and me.'_

Casey read the text over and over again. Did she want to go? Or did she want to spend time with Dean, away from the Total Divas camera crew?

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" Dean mumbled and she shrugged.

"Nothing really."

"I just got a text from Super Cena asking to hang out." He informed her and she sighed.

"Nikki wants me to go lingerie shopping with her."

"Always gets torn." Dean reminded and she nodded.

"I'm not going to waste my money. I learned my lesson."

"But the sex was good." Dean reasoned and she shrugged.

"The sex is always good." She complimented as she texted Nikki back.

_'I'm in. Where and when?"_

_'You and Dean can just meet John and I in the lobby. Twenty minutes.'_

_'K'_

* * *

And that's what landed her here. In the middle of some store, sorting through a rack of bras with a camera in her face while she and Nikki talked about their boyfriends.

"I don't understand how you got naturally bigger boobs than Brie and I." Nikki complained from where she stood kind of behind her while looking through a different rack, and Casey shrugged.

"I dunno, either. I don't care, though. Dean doesn't care about my chest size."

"But I bet Dean likes them. How often do you two have sex?" Nikki teased, looking back at Casey, who turned to face Nikki.

"Nicole!" Casey protested, but Nikki only rose an eyebrow at her little sister. "We have sex enough."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means that we're both highly satisfied and sex is never an issue in our relationship." Casey stated, turning back to the rack and holding up a sports bra.

"Does your relationship have any issues?" Nikki asked and Casey shrugged.

"Not really. If there is an issue, we talk about it and work it out."

"What was the latest issue?"

"Whether or not I should be training people on Orlando and Tampa and fitting that in to my travel schedule."

"He didn't like it? Money is money." Nikki stated and Casey nodded.

"He didn't like that I could possibly be running myself ragged with all the press I have to do as champion, house shows and the taped shows. Two weeks down, I've been fine. I get my sleep."

"Two hours on a plane here and there isn't healthy though, Casey."

"When I start to feel like my health is affected by this, I'll tone it down."

"Promise?" Nikki asked turning to face Casey again and the younger Bella sighed, turning to face her older sister and kissing her pinky.

"I pinky promise." The sisters locked pinkies and Nikki grinned.

"What does Dean think about your pinky promises?" She asked and Casey rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't aware that this was twenty questions about Dean." She teased and Nikki shrugged as they released their pinkies and went to the cashier.

"You know that you have the tallest boyfriend out of the three of us?" Nikki asked as they left and Casey nodded.

"I'm aware. He's six-foot-four and all mine."

"John is only like six-one. And Daniel is a short little shit." The two sisters laughed and walked into a candle store.

"But they're a cute couple." Casey said, picking up a cookie scented candle and sniffing it. "You think mom would like this?" She asked, tilting it towards Nikki, who nodded. "I'm gonna mail it to her. Dean wants to go see mom and dad next time we have a couple days off."

"Mom and Dad love him. She told me that she wants you two to last."

"Dean wants us to be forever. Like house and kids, joint bank account."

"Does that concern you? Or did you say 'I want this' and make him accept it?"

"We were making cookies together on Christmas day, and I made a comment about our kids not missing out on making cookies or something, and he was all 'you want to have kids with me'?" Nikki laughed at her bad impersonation of Dean and Casey continued. "But the last couple times we've talked about the future, he's brought it up and he mentioned a house and kids. Like, we've already decided what dogs we're going to get when we move into a bigger place and have a more infrequent travel schedule."

"You two are so young and in love and just cute. When's your anniversary?"

"April sixth."

"If he proposed like...tomorrow, what would you say?"

"I'd say yes. No doubt about it. I love him and I want to spend the rest of my life with him." Nikki smiled at her little sister, watching as she sniffed candles. She looked so carefree, even though everything worried her. Nikki knew that even though Casey knew she was safe, she was constantly concerned about Randy not being as distant as he had been, and coming after her again. But regardless, Casey was happy, and that's what mattered to the family.

_'Casey is totally Dean's unicorn.'_ John texted Nikki, who smiled and replied.

'_Totally. They're so cute and in love with each other.'_

"Who are you texting?" Casey asked as she and Nikki carried their candles to the counter and filled out the mailing forms.

"John. We're talking about you and Dean. You're totally his unicorn."

"You think so?"

"We know so, honey."

* * *

"What the hell is a unicorn?" Dean asked and John rose an eyebrow.

"The mythical white horse with a horn that nobody's ever seen unicorn, or the once in a lifetime love of your life unicorn?" The older man asked, putting in a token and beginning to shoot hoops in the arcade game and Dean followed his lead.

"The second one?"

"Like I said, once in a lifetime love of your life. Like, the one girl that you had to work hard for, and now that you've got her, you're not gonna let her go and you'll do anything for her because you know you'll never meet another girl like her." Dean nodded and John looked over at the blonde, watching as he focused on the game, but he could tell that the younger man was thinking a lot about this unicorn thing. "You're thinking too much about it."

"Nah, I'm focusing on beating your ass at this game."

"You fit in well with this family."

"Thanks, man."


	39. Don't Go On The Blogs

"I think Super Cena likes me." Dean mumbled into Casey's ear when they passed the older man and received a head nod.

"Just don't call him Super Cena to his face. I've heard that he doesn't like the nickname." She said as he opened the door to their locker room for her and she walked passed him into the room.

"Why can't he accept it like Daniel accepts the goat thing?" Dean asked and she shrugged. "I think I'd like being called Super Dean or Super Ambrose or some shit like that." He mused as he took his shirt off and she did the same.

"I'm so changing your name to Super Dean in my phone." She giggled, pulling her phone out of her back pocket and he chuckled as he typed.

"Was I just plain Dean Ambrose?"

"It was Dean with a couple kissing emojis. Silly man. What am I in your phone?"

"Casey with a smiley face." He informed as they slid into their pants and she grinned.

"Can I be Super Casey?"

"Yeah, sure."

"You know there's a blog on tumblr dedicated to naming reasons why you two shouldn't be an item?" Seth asked as he entered the locker room and Casey shrugged.

"There's a few out there." She stated simply and he nodded.

"But this one was tweeted at me by a super Ambrella fan, asking that I bring this to your attention. Because you didn't see the tweet."

"Text me the link and I'll look it over."

Dean had stood there quietly throughout the whole exchange and only thought to put on his boots when Casey sat down and put hers on. He was interested, what reasons could people have for them not to be together? He and Casey were perfect for one another and if their fans couldn't see that, it was their loss. His other interest was why did Casey care about their fan's opinions? It was only going to put more insecurities in her head.

"'He's older than her'? By what, five months? What a bogus fucking reason." She argued and Seth sighed, pulling his hair back into a bun before putting his tactical gear on.

"Casey, does it matter why people don't want us to be together? We love each other, they don't have to date us." Dean tried to reason but she only kept scrolling.

"'She dated Randy Orton, there's no way Ambrose measures up'. Who the hell do these people think they are!?"

"Is she looking at that blog?" Roman asked as he entered the locker room and the two other men nodded.

"Oh, this one is rich. 'She's probably only with him and The Shield for the titles'. Seriously? Seriously!?"

"Casey calm down." Roman stated, his tone telling her that she had no choice but to relax. "We know that you're not only with us, and him, for the title, okay?" She nodded and Dean placed his hand on her thigh, giving a gentle squeeze.

"Sometimes I don't like being famous." She mumbled and he nodded, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I don't either, sometimes. It's okay, Case. We all lose our cool sometimes." Dean soothed and she nodded.

"I'm gonna go talk to my sisters, maybe find Brad or Wade. I dunno."

"Take a coat, in case you wind up at the loading docks." She nodded again, kissing his cheek before grabbing her jacket and leaving the room with her phone.

It wasn't hard to track down her sisters, she found them in catering enjoying salads. Brie spotted Casey and waved her over, the younger Bella making a beeline for the table.

"What's up, Case?" Brie asked and Casey shrugged.

"Seth told me about a blog devoted to reasons why Dean and I shouldn't be together."

"And you looked at it?" Nikki asked and Casey nodded.

"Some of the reasons were just so stupid."

"You can't look at those things. They'll make you insecure and then you'll start fighting with Dean over it." Nikki told her sister and Brie nodded in agreement.

"It's best to let the haters hate and not give them the time of day. Your supporters can fight that battle for you, because you don't have the time to." Brie added and Casey nodded.

"So is Dean giving you space to relax?"

"Yeah, I suppose. I dunno."

"You don't know?" Brie asked and Casey shrugged.

"I said that I was going to find somebody to talk to, and he told me to take a coat in case I went out to the loading docks. So I guess that's what's going on. I dunno." Casey explained and the two nodded as Brad joined them at the table.

"Good evening ladies. Casey, I have good news for you, dearest."

"What would that news be?"

"The fix is in." He whispered in her ear and she grinned as she stood with him.

"Really?"

"The authority thought it would be a good idea, but they want you in Bella gear, not Shield gear." He told her as they walked out of catering, leaving her confused sisters behind in catering.

"Am I entering with The Shield?"

"Yes. You're still in The Shield, dummy." Brad stated, punching her shoulder gently.

"Dean isn't going to like that. I should go get changed, huh?"

"I took the liberty of taking the gear Mrs. McMahon wanted to The Shield locker room, since I was looking for you anyways, so he already knows." Brad informed and she hugged him.

"Thanks, Brad. You don't totally suck sometimes."

"What are friends in high places for?" He playfully asked as they separated and she laughed as they reached his office for the night.

"See you, Brad."

"For sure." They high fived and she continued on her way to The Shield's locker room.

"Did you ask for this?" Dean asked, holding the tiny container that had her gear in it and she shook her head.

"I asked him to put in a fix, I didn't think Stephanie would say that I needed Bella gear and still have to do The Shield entrance." She defended, seeing that Seth and Roman weren't in the room.

"You asked for a fix?" He asked as she took off her shirt and opened the container.

"Did you see what the other options were?"

"Your sisters were the best choice out of the three."

"Exactly. And you're actually the winner in this, because you get to see me in my Bella gear." She murmured seductively, tilting his head up so that his gaze was on her face and not her chest.

"I did come out the winner in this, didn't I?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and she hopped up to wrap her legs around his waist. "But I have to get you through the crowd in Bella gear. I'm certain they're going to be touchy. Why wouldn't they? You're fucking gorgeous and you have a hot body." He murmured, rubbing her sides while her fingers played with the hair on the nap of his neck. "So fucking sexy." He whispered against her lips before pressing his lips to hers. He had every intention of fucking her against the door, but that plan was ruined by Seth bursting into the room.

"Hey, Dean, Rome and I didn't- oh, you found her. Whoops."

"Fuckin' Rollins." Dean sighed as he set Casey on her feet and the two toned man chuckled. "You know, if there was a Slammy for 'Cockblock of the Year', you'd get it."

"Oh ease up, you act like you were getting any here and now, anyways." Casey teased as she fixed her hair and put her headband into place as Seth left the room and Dean stared down at her. "Do you need a second?"

"Nah, I'm good. Piggyback?" He asked and she nodded. "I spoil you."

"Somebody has to." She stated, wrapping her arms around his neck before he stood. "How long until we go down there?"

"Like an hour."

"Let me grab your coat, first." She told him, loosening her grip around his neck and he let her drop down to her feet, going back into a kneeling position while she grabbed his jacket and put it on before wrapping her arms around his neck again. He stood, looping his arms around her legs to support her as he walked down the hall. "Why don't you do this for me more often?"

"You never ask. You know I can't say no to you."

"Ah, how young love has stricken two of the most sheltered hearts." The two heard Bray Wyatt and Dean stopped walking, gently setting Casey on her feet before keeping her behind him. "You don't need to hide her from me, Dean. I understand you, and I understand her. Probably better than you two understand each other. You see, that's the problem with young lovers. Always lost in their own little worlds. Always lost in each other, when the world around them crumbles to nothing..." He continued as Dean led Casey to walk around the Wyatt family, keeping her farthest from the band of weirdos, Bray's voice fading as the couple walked further away.

"That was weird." Casey breathed, looking back down the hall to see that the Wyatts had disappeared.

"Yeah. Let's meet up with Seth and Roman, okay?" He suggested and she nodded, holding his hand tight in hers and he looked down at her. "You're safe with me, kitten."

"That doesn't change the fact that they make me uneasy, Dean."

"You look cute in my jacket. It's a Shield jacket, and I didn't even notice."

"It's so big on me, Dean."

"You're a tiny lady compared to me." He reasoned and she shrugged. "And that doesn't change how cute you look." He added as Seth and Roman walked up them and she fist bumped the Samoan and they both made their hands do the little explosion thing.

"You two seem more off than usual." Seth commented and Casey looked up at Dean.

"Bray Wyatt called us out. Sayin' some shit about young love and how he 'understands' us." Dean explained and Seth shuddered while Roman only shook his head.

"Fuckin' creepy." Seth commented and Casey nodded.

"I need to be with at least one of you for the rest of the night." Casey stated and the three nodded.

"That'll happen. We don't want anything happening to you." Roman stated, patting Casey's head and she smiled. She was closer to Roman than she was to Seth, having had many a late night texting conversation with the Samoan asking for a bunch of advice- both inside and outside the ring. Roman saw Casey as a little sister, and he may not be a hugger, but the gentle pat to the head was enough for him to get across to her that he cared about her. She wasn't just a teammate or Dean's girlfriend. She was family, just like Dean and Seth were family to him, too.

"Well, we should do stretches or something, huh?" Seth asked and Casey nodded.

"Let's stretch bitches!" They shouted in unison, their hands meeting in a high ten after Seth made Casey jump to make contact.

* * *

**A/N:**

**So I've decided that I'm going to end this when Dean and Casey get engaged, and then start a sequel that's all about them planning the wedding while dealing with work, and I already have some ideas for that, but I plan on dragging this out until sometime after New Years.**

**But I'm requesting the help of my awesome readers. How should Dean propose to Casey? You can leave your ideas in a review, or you can PM with your idea. I'm open to all options, because all of mine are super cliche and I'm not sure if I want to go a cliche route with this. So...yeah. I really want your opinions and your ideas. PM me your ideas or leave it in a review, either works. There's no such thing as too many ideas, so if oh have more than one, I'd love to hear them all! :) **

**Thanks so much and happy holidays!**


	40. Blessed

"It's one day with my parents and without me. I'll see you on Thursday, Dean." She assured and he sighed.

"It's a whole day and a half without you, kitten." He argued and she rolled her eyes.

"At least it's not two." She countered and he shrugged, leaning down and kissing her softly.

"Casey, come on!" Nikki called and Casey waved her off as she pulled away from Dean.

"I'll see you Thursday." Dean murmured, pressing his lips to hers again.

"For sure. I love you." She smiled, backing away from him and towards her older sister and John Cena, since they were her ride to Tampa this time around.

"I love you, too." He called as she walked away and she smiled back at him. It was then that he realized that she was in his Shield zip up hoodie and smiled as he headed for his gate for his ten o'clock flight to Phoenix.

* * *

"What's the matter, Casey? This beats public flights by a long shot." Nikki stated and Casey shrugged, looking from the window to where her older sister was snuggled with John.

"It is, and I appreciate this. I just don't like being without Dean."

"Where's he headed?"

"To hang with mom and dad."

"Maybe he's asking for their blessing?" Nikki teased and Casey shook her head.

"I dunno. I'd rather not get my hopes up, though. What if he just likes mom and dad?" Casey dismissed her sister and went back to looking out the window, letting the knowing glance Nikki and John shared go unnoticed by the young woman.

* * *

Dean landed in Phoenix, feeling lonely without Casey, but he greeted her mom with a hug and a smile.

"You look healthy." Kathy complimented and he grinned, scratching the back of his head.

"Thank you. You look great, too."

"Stop it, you. Casey is in Tampa?" She asked as they made their way to her car.

"Until Thursday afternoon. I miss her already." He admitted with a chuckle and Kathy smiled at him as he put his suitcase and gear in the trunk. "Thanks so much for picking me up, by the way. I know its late and all-"

"Dean, you make Casey so happy. You're like family to us. The least I could do is pick you up from the airport. Now hush. As soon as we get to the house, I want you upstairs and going to bed. You've got to be exhausted, and don't you dare try telling me that you're not, I see the bags under your eyes."

"I wasn't going to argue." He defended and she smiled.

"You're a smart man." Kathy stated, looking over at her daughter's boyfriend as he shifted to get more comfortable in the seat.

* * *

Casey entered their apartment with a sigh. It wasn't the same walking through the door alone, when usually she was carried in or had Dean with her in some essence. She turned her phone on saw the text from Super Dean that prompted her to call as soon as she got home and did so.

_"How was your flight?" _He asked once he picked up and she smiled.

"Lonely. It sucks seeing your sister cuddling with her boyfriend when you miss yours so much." She mumbled, tossing her key ring on the bar counter on her way to the bedroom.

_"Baby I miss you, too. As soon as I got home your mom ushered me to your room and told me to go to bed."_ He chucked and she smiled as she reached the bedroom, putting her phone on speaker and tossing it into the bed.

"Are you rebelling against my mother?" She teased as she stripped down to her underwear and started looking through their closet for a shirt. "I'm gonna sleep in one of your shirts tonight, okay?"

_"Go for it. And I am rebelling against you mother."_

"I'm telling."

_"I dare you to."_ He yawned and she smiled.

"Babe, go to bed."

_"Can I stay on the line with you while I sleep?"_

"Do you wanna Face Time? It'll be better."

_"Okay. You better answer." _He warned before hanging up and she smiled.

"Why would I not?" She asked herself, pulling on one of his plain grey tshirts and bringing her phone with her to the bathroom as he called on Face Time and she answered.

"I've missed your pretty face."

"It's only been a couple of hours, but I missed your face, too." She said with a smile, propping her phone up against the bathroom mirror so she could look at him while she removed her makeup.

"I was thinking that on Thursday, you could get a lot of sleep. But on Friday, we go out to lunch with your parents before we have to fly out to Canada."

"I'd like that."

"You don't wear that much makeup." He commented and she shrugged.

"I'm a Diva, not a clown." She teased, throwing away her makeup removal wipes before pulling out her toothbrush.

"Never said you were. Have you seen all the makeup they put on some people?"

"Natalya is in the chair for at least half and hour at shows." Casey informed as she brushed her teeth and Dean's eyes widened.

"Damn. You're in the bathroom for at most ten minutes and come out looking twenty times hotter. But you look best with your natural beauty."

"Thanks, babe." She mumbled around her toothbrush and he grinned.

* * *

He woke up the following morning, dressed, and met her parents downstairs for breakfast.

"Good morning, Dean." Kathy greeted and he smiled.

"Good morning. Need any help?"

"Not at all. You sit down at the table." She told him and he nodded, going into the dining room and sitting close to Casey's father, Jon.

"Good morning, Dean."

"Morning, sir."

"Call me Jon. How many times do I have to tell you?" He asked with a laugh and Dean chuckled.

"My bad. How've you been?"

"I've been doing fine. How've you been? Better, how have you been taking care of my Casey?"

"I've been good, best when I'm with her. I've been taking good care of her, we're happy."

"Good to hear. Thanks, darlin'." Jon added when Kathy set plates down in front of them."

"Thank you, Kathy. I actually have a question to ask you guys, about Casey." Dean started as Kathy sat down across from him and the two looked at him.

"Oh?"

"Casey and I have been together for almost ten months, it'll be ten on February seventh, if you were interested."

"Cute." Kathy murmured to Jon, who nodded, intently watching Dean.

"I love her, I do. More than professional wrestling, and that's a pretty big deal. Anyways, I see myself being with her forever, and I want to marry her, but I'd like your blessing since you are her parents and your approval would mean the world to me."

"Do you have a ring?" Jon asked and Dean nodded, pulling out his phone.

"I do. I bought it last month, but my friend Roman is hanging onto it for me because Casey likes to unpack my suitcase for me and I don't want her finding it until I'm ready to propose." He showed them both a picture of the ring and Kathy gasped in surprise.

"She'll love that."

"Thank you." Dean put his phone and looked between Kathy and Jon, awaiting an answer.

"I'd be a fool not to give my blessing. I just want you to take care of my baby girl."

"I will, I swear."

Now he just had to figure out how to propose to her.


	41. Tired

Kathy tasked Dean with picking up Casey from the airport. The only problem was that he didn't know how to navigate Arizona.

"And this car doesn't have a GPS." He muttered to himself, looking at the dashboard where a GPS would be. "Fuck me sideways."

* * *

Casey looked around the terminal, not seeing Dean or her parents.

_'Did you forget to pick me up at the airport?' _She sent that text to both her parents and Dean.

_**'I asked Dean to.'**_

"Of course she would ask the man from Ohio who doesn't know how to navigate Arizona." Casey mumbled to herself, walking out to the loading area outside a and sitting on a bench before calling Dean.

* * *

"Hey, baby."

_"Are you lost?"_

"I may or may not be. Your mom didn't tell me that her car didn't have a GPS." He heard her giggle and smiled. He missed her too much to be mad at her for finding his current situation funny.

_"Tell me where you're at and I'll give you directions from there."_

"Thank you, sweetheart."

_"Anytime. But you have to do the same for me if we end up in this situation in Ohio."_

_Yeah, like that'll ever happen. _He thought to himself, knowing that Casey always had some kind of GPS on her person at all times when she traveled.

"For sure." He confirmed before telling her what street he was on and allowing her to direct him until he was at the airport and holding her in his arms. "I've missed you, kitten." He mumbled into her hair as he held her close and she smiled into his chest.

"I missed you, too, bunny. Let's get back, I wanna see my parents and chat a bit before I pass out."

"Do you want me to drive?"

"Hell no. I'll drive, since I know my way around." She laughed and he chuckled as he got her bags and put them in the trunk while she got into the drivers seat before he got into the passenger's seat. "Buckle up, fucker."

"Bitch, I'll beat you up." He laughed as he buckled his seat belt and she smiled at him. "You look cute in your little aviators and and your sweater."

"It's a cardigan." She corrected as she pulled out of the parking space and he rolled his eyes.

"Is there really a difference?"

"Yes, but you wouldn't understand because you don't really care. Thank you for your compliment, though." He didn't take her tone to heart, because he knew that she was most likely tired, and she could be a bitch when she got tired.

"You're welcome."

"How was your day with my parents?" She asked as he took her hand in his, resting their arms on the center console.

"Pretty good. Your mom has been...mothering me, I guess you could say." He stated and she looked over at him.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" She asked and he shrugged.

"I didn't absolutely hate it, it was just weird until I got used to it." He admitted with a smile and she smiled at him.

"Just wait until we have kids. Her mothering is bad, but she loves little kids."

"Oh god." The couple laughed and he watched her as she drove. "What do you want to do for Valentine's Day?"

"Spend time with you. Doesn't matter what we're doing."

"Maybe we could find a cabin to rent for that weekend? Or maybe for that week since it's our anniversary week?" He suggested and she shrugged.

"Valentines is during a weekend?" She asked, looking over at him to see him looking at something on his phone.

"It's a Friday."

"Some time away from the world with you sounds really relaxing." She told him after a couple minutes of silence and he nodded.

"No work. No family. Just Dean and Casey."

"I like Dean and Casey time. We could turn our phones off, and just enjoy each other."

"There's a lot of enjoying I could do to you." He murmured in her ear seductively as she pulled into her parent's neighborhood.

"That's a lot of things for me to enjoy, Dean."

"Maybe tonight?"

"My dad would be so pissed." She she laughed as she parked the car and shut it off.

"So let's not." He conceded, not sure if her parents could retract their blessing, and not wanting to see if they could. "I'll carry your bags in, baby. Go say hi to your parents."

"Really?"

"Of course." He smiled at her grin and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss.

"You're the best, Dean."

"I know."

* * *

"So, Casey, what's your schedule looking like these days?" Her father asked while they sat down for dinner and Casey shrugged.

"I have RAW and SmackDown tapings on Mondays and Tuesdays, the occasional Main Event appearance, and then Wednesday mornings I'm in Orlando training newbies, Thursday mornings I'm in Tampa training newbies, and the rest of the week I'm at signings and house shows if they need me." Casey explained and Dean shook his head at how ridiculous her schedule sounded when she said it out loud. Seeing it on the calendar was bad enough, hearing it was just terrible.

"You've got to be exhausted." Kathy mumbled, frowning at her daughter.

"I get my sleep here and there. It's only a real killer when they spring house shows and signings on Wednesdays and Thursdays that require me flying out."

"What do you think about this, Dean?" Jon asked and Dean shrugged.

"I'm not a huge fan of it, but she wants to do this and I promised that I wouldn't try to stop her unless it started to affect her health." Her parents nodded at his explanation and she smiled up at him before going back to her food.


	42. That Sweatshirt

She yawned as she pulled her suitcase into the arena for a house show. She made it through January and only had to survive nine days until she and Dean were disappearing to a cabin in Canada on the tenth until the morning of the seventeenth. The operative word in that sentence being _survive_. Dean was right about the job training rookies, added with her duties as Diva's Champion weighing down the duties she already had with her job, she was running herself ragged. But she was stubborn and refused to admit defeat.

"Casey, you look like shit." Brad commented and she flipped him off as he pulled her into a hug. "Are you even fit to compete tonight?"

"Just a house show. No big deal, Bradley." She mumbled, yawning into his shoulder.

"Raw is in two nights. You better gets some fucking sleep, because the last thing I need is you passing out during the main event on my show."

"I will. I'm good, Brad."

"Promise?" He asked, pulling back and holding out his pinky with a small smile.

"I promise." She locked her pinky with his and he kissed the side of her head.

"Take care of yourself, Casey."

"I will. You do the same."

"For sure." He called as they went their separate ways and it wasn't long before she was in The Shield's locker room for the night and sat down on the bench since she was by herself. She made short work of changing into her gear before balling up Dean's sweatshirt that she kept in her suitcase and used it as a pillow in an attempt to get a few minutes of sleep before the guys came barreling in.

Dean was the first in the locker room, smiling when he saw her asleep on the bench in her gear, minus her boots but her socks were tiger striped and adorable as hell, her head cradled by his sweatshirt. He only knew because he could see a bit of the CZW logo and the fact that she loved that sweatshirt more than anything in his closet. He didn't understand why; after all the blood, sweat, and most likely tears that thing had absorbed, regardless of how many times he'd washed it, it should've been the last thing that she would've wanted. She only told him that she had her reasons, and he let it go. He would've let her have it regardless, because if she wanted it, he'd give it to her. He'd figure out how to literally rearrange the alphabet to put I and U together, if that's what she wanted.

"Dean?" She asked, sitting up and he moved to sit beside her.

"I'm here, baby. How long have you been napping?" He asked and she shrugged, trying to smooth her hair down.

"A while, I guess. I feel a lot better than I did when I got here."

"Yeah, Brad told me that you looked like shit when he saw you and it took every fiber of my being to not punch him in the face." She giggled and pressed her face into the sleeve of his jacket. "But you do look more well rested than you did when we were chatting this morning on FaceTime."

"I've been chanting 'nine more days' in my head over and over and over again all day." She told him and he kissed the top of her head before standing up to undress.

"I'll do all the packing for that week. You can make lists beforehand, but I'll pack our bags."

"I'm alright with that." She mumbled, laying back down and shutting her eyes. He sent a text to Roman and Seth, asking that they not wake up Casey when they entered the locker room. She was exhausted, but she wouldn't admit that the extra job was doing this to her. She was too stubborn for her own good sometimes.

* * *

_"Let's go Roman!" Casey cheered from where she stood on the apron beside Seth. Dean wasn't in this match, but he was at commentary watching. His attention was more on the way her ass looked in those pants, but he was looking at the action in the ring, too._

_"So, Dean, obvious dissension in The Shield, is that affecting your relationship with Casey?" Cole asked, looking across JBL to Dean._

_"Is that affecting their relationship? Michael, do you not go on Twitter?" John asked and Dean nodded._

_"Yes, Michael, do you not go on Twitter? I actually tweet more because of her." Dean stated, looking at her drop kick Natalya. "That's my girl! Goin' to work."_

_"That was a picture perfect drop kick from Casey Bella, and oh no!"_

_"Sharpshooter from Natalya!" Cole shouted and Dean stood to get a better look._

_"Has anybody ever wondered why it takes her so long to put people in the Sharpshooter?" Dean asked, looking down at the three other commentators. John looked like he had a comment to make but was biting his tongue, and so did King, Cole was just watching as Casey crawled to the ropes. Once Natalya broke the hold Dean sat back down._

_"Afraid that she was going to tap, Dean?" Cole asked and Dean shook his head._

_"Just getting a better look, Michael. Casey wouldn't tap out to the Sharpshooter."_

_"Yeah, Michael. Stop assuming things." John scolded and Michael shook his head as Casey got Natalya in a headlock and drove her to the mat in a DDT._

_"Look familiar, Dean?" King asked and Dean smirked._

_"I think she does it better than I do." Was all he said before pulling off his headset, grabbing his belt and hers, and sliding into the ring to hand it to her and fist bump her and the guys._

_"Good job, you guys." He congratulated as they left the ring and hopped over the barricade._

* * *

"You pretty bitch." Dean commented as they walked to the locker room and she blushed.

"Yeah, well, it's in my job description." Casey teased, nudging his ribs with her elbow even though that was his ticklish spot.

"Is somebody ticklish?" Seth asked and Dean shook his head.

"Nah, her elbow is cold." Dean covered and Roman shook his head, obviously not buying it as Vickie walked up.

"Dean Ambrose and Casey Bella versus Tyson Kidd and Natalya tomorrow for the SmackDown taping." She informed and the two nodded.

"Fuck me." She groaned as they reached their locker room and Dean rubbed her back.

"You'll be okay. It's our last major show before we disappear for a week." He soothed and she nodded.

* * *

"Why do you like that sweatshirt so much?" He asked when they got into their hotel room and she shrugged as she stripped down to her underwear and climbed into bed.

"Because you've told me all your CZW stories and you probably think that sweatshirt is kinda gross after all that it's been through with you, but I see it as a part of you that I can have with me when I can't have you." She explained when he got into bed beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"That actually makes a lot of sense and is really fucking cute. It means a lot to me, Casey." He murmured in her ear before kissing her shoulder. He expected a cute response, but wasn't surprised when he moved to see her face, and she was already fast asleep. "Good night, pretty girl."


	43. The Right Moment?

How did this happen? Well, actually he knew how it happened. Her and this fucking job and not getting enough sleep, and still thinking that she could compete like usual. It was her being stubborn and that fucking 'never say die' attitude that landed her in a hospital bed and him at her bedside. It was his fault for letting her go though with this suicidal workload, and it was his fault for not voicing his opinion sooner.

"Hey, hon." Casey's older nurse greeted and he gave a weak smile. "No change?"

"No change."

"Give it a couple more hours. Want anything to eat?" She asked and he shook his head. "That's not healthy, Mr. Ambrose." She chided as she wrote down Casey's vital numbers on the chart that hung at the foot of the bed.

"I've gone longer without food."

"If you say so." She called as she left the room and he looked down at Casey's hand that he held tight in his own.

"This is a sign, sweetheart." He mumbled, kissing her knuckles. "A sad sign."

"Dean?" She mumbled and he looked up at her face.

"Case, thank god."

"What happened?"

"You collapsed after our match against Tyson Kidd and Natalya." He informed and she shot up.

"I what?" She asked, seeing how tired he was.

"Exhaustion. Your body can't handle the constant back and forth traveling and lack of sleep with the amount of exercising that we do both in and out of the ring."

"How long was I out?"

"SmackDown taped on Tuesday, today is Friday, so it's been a few days."

"I had a phone interview-"

"Damnit Casey, you've been out for three days and your main concern is still your job and not your health?" He snapped and she laid back.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," He sighed, not intending on being a dick about their situation. "I just care about you so much, and you know what you're going to have to do."

"I don't want to, though."

"Casey, I don't want to be sitting at your beside again because you had a full plate and wouldn't admit that it's killing you."

"Fine, I'll call Regal and DeMott in the morning and let them know that I can't train rookies anymore." She submitted and he smiled.

"Thank you, Casey. How do you feel?"

"Well rested. Did we win on Tuesday?" She asked and he shook his head.

"You tapped to the Sharpshooter."

"I guess I'm defending my title at the Elimination Chamber, huh."

"Most likely."

"I wouldn't mind losing my title to Natalya. She's worked hard and deserves it, I guess." She mused and he rose an eyebrow.

"You're just going to hand it to her?"

"No, she has to work for it. But if I did lose to her, I wouldn't beat myself up about it."

"Oh, she's awake. Boy, I told you to let me know when she woke up." The nurse stated as she entered the room and Dean rose his free hand in defense.

"I'm sorry, Rhonda."

"How are you feeling, missy?"

"Uh, good, I guess?" Casey mumbled, sitting up again. "I've certainly been better, but I'm good."

"Waking up to this handsome man doesn't hurt."

"No it does not." Casey laughed and Dean smiled, pushing her hair back and out of her face. "Do my parents know I collapsed?"

"Yeah. It took a lot of convincing on my end to get them to stay in Scottsdale. When we get home, you need to call your mom and let her know that you're okay." He explained while the nurse checked her eyes before making her leave.

"I will. Thank you, Dean."

"Don't thank me, Casey. Just promise me that you won't try to push yourself any harder, babe."

"I promise." She kissed her pinky and held it out to him and he did the same, locking his pinky with hers.

* * *

Nikki and Brie walked into Casey and Dean's apartment, knowing that he had brought her home the day before and wanting to check on her before she and Dean left for the week.

"Dean, we're going to have to pick up food for the week while we're there." Casey called from the kitchen and the twins hear him give some sort of confirmation.

"So you guys are getting all packed up?" Brie asked and Casey nodded, taking a drink from her glass of tea.

"Yep. He says that I'm not allowed to do anything but look beautiful and make checklists."

"How cute. How are you doing, though?" Brie asked as Nikki walked around the apartment.

"I've been better, but I feel better than I have been these past few weeks." Casey said, paying no mind to the fact that Nikki walked away.

"Hey asshole." She greeted the blonde, seeing him sitting on the floor amongst small piles of clothes and equipment.

"Hey bitch." He and Nikki had gotten close since he told her and Brie about wanting to propose and planning with them.

"Are you going to do it?"

"If the moment feels right, I will."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"I don't fucking know. Regal said that you 'feel it'." He used air quotes and Nikki scoffed.

"That's some shit he would say."

"I know. Can you hand me the pack of flashlights on the bed?" He pointed and she complied, having to maneuver the small piles of clothes around the bed.

"Did Casey go all Girl Scout for packing?"

"I have like six different lists to abide by." Dean chuckled and Nikki laughed.

"Six? What the hell?"

"There's a list of clothes for me, clothes for her, pairs of shoes that we'll need, accessories, and a shopping list for when we get off the plane."

"You gotta love that girl."

"You really do."

* * *

"You ready for the ultimate camping experience?" Dean asked and she looked up at him from where she sat beside him on the plane.

"We're renting a cabin that has central heating. I don't think that counts as camping."

"It kind of does. We'll be away from the world for a while, and that'll be fun."

"It will be. I told Stephanie and Hunter that if either of our phones rang and it was work related, they had to put an extra ten grand in our Christmas bonuses this year." Casey told him with a smile and he kissed her softly.

"You're awesome."

"You're awesomer."

"That's not a word so I win by disqualification."

"Fuck you." She giggled and he smirked, leaning in close.

"I plan on fucking you a lot this week, sweetheart." She loved it when he used that dark tone, it never failed to turn her on.

* * *

**I'm still really desperate for ideas. A lot of thanks to everyone who has given an idea, I'm fifty shades of grateful for your ideas. You can leave your idea in a review or you can PM me. I just want your opinions. Please and thank you.**


	44. Time Away

"It's cozy." She commented once they entered the cabin and he nodded.

"Think Brie and Daniel are going to live in a place like this?" Dean joked and she punched his shoulder. "I was kidding."

"I know."

"Look around some more, babe, I'll go get our bags."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely positive. You're not doing anything possibly strenuous this whole week."

"This is supposed to be relaxing for you, too, sweetheart." She murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck and he smiled, resting his forehead on hers.

"You relaxing is relaxing for me, too, baby."

"Can I just carry my suitcase inside?"

"No."

"Please?" She pouted and he sighed.

"How can I say no to that face?"

"You can't. I know your weaknesses, bunny. I happen to be almost every one of them." She teased, pecking his lips before heading out the front door of the cabin, leaving him behind. He watched as she walked away, admiring her outfit. She was dressed for the weather, in her forest green long sleeved thermal shirt with a white vest over that, jeans that fit just right and brown boots that ended just below her knee.

"You know that you're totally hot?" He asked once he finally joined her at the back of their rental.

"I've been told by a few people on a several different occasions. Of course, it means more when you say it."

"Oh, baby, you know just how to butter me up." He teased, stooping low and nuzzling her neck. "Can we just make out right here?"

"No, dearest, we can go make out on the couch once we get all our stuff in the cabin."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Are we leaving the firewood in the car?"

"Hell no. We'll bring it in and I'll get that fucker started so we can get some hot dogs and s'mores or some shit like that."

"It's getting pretty late, huh?" She yawned and he chuckled, giving her ass a gentle pat before grabbing his suitcase and their bag from their shopping trip to the general store a mile away from their cabin.

"That's what you get when you want to take the later flight out." He teased as he walked into the cabin and she pulled out her suitcase before shutting the trunk and carrying it in, shutting the door behind her. "We don't even get cell service out here."

"Good. But how much would it suck if a murderer decided to come and try to murder us?"

"It wouldn't happen, because I'd beat the fucker into submission, then I'd tie him naked to a tree." He told her, confidence filling his voice, and she looked at him quizzically as they deposited their suitcases in the master bedroom.

"The first part made sense, but I don't get the second."

"You don't have to. The first part was more important." He explained as he took off his jacket and she shed her vest.

"I like how that shirt fits you." She complimented, placing her palms on his pectorals and he felt the heat from her hands through the fabric of his grey long-sleeved henley.

"I like how those jeans fit you." He complimented, hooking his thumbs in her belt loops and pulling her into his body. "This week is all about you and me, baby."

"This is long overdue, Dean."

"I know, Case. I've missed you."

"We've been together the past couple days, I know I spent a few nights in the hospital, but before that we were-"

"No. We were together, yeah, but you weren't yourself. You weren't as...vibrant as you usually are. I'm seeing the bright and shiny Casey again, honey." She started to tear up and her stroked her cheek.

"I'm so sorry." She murmured, burying her face in his neck and he only held her close. "I love you so much, Dean."

"I love you, too, Casey."

* * *

"You do know that hikes in the snow- in the wilderness, no less- are how a bunch of people get lost and killed, right?" She asked and he chuckled.

"Casey, there's a trail specifically for hiking, we have a map, and there are rangers stations every half mile in case people do get lost." Dean argued from where he leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest and that signature smirk on his face. "Grab your coat, honey, we're going on a hike. Grab your camera, too. I'll get snacks."

"Okay." It wasn't long before she was ready to go and allowing him to lead her out of the cabin and down a trail. He held her hand except for when she wanted to take a picture of something and he'd occasionally take a selfie with her on his phone while they walked.

"Bunny, go stand by that fallen tree so I can take your picture."

"Can I make it looked like I kicked it down?" He asked and she sighed.

"If you can promise me that you won't fall."

"These shoes have great grip, kitten. I'll be okay." He assured, resting his foot on the trunk of the fallen tree and she took his picture while he made the most ridiculous face. "Does it look good?"

"It's bookcase worthy." She said with a smile, showing him the picture and he laughed.

"Totally bookcase worthy. Maybe one of the rangers will take a picture of us together."

"Probably. Baby, don't move." She stuck her arm out to stop him from walking any further before taking a picture of the bear that stood about fifty yards away from the couple.

"That's so cool." Dean whispered to Casey, who only nodded. Both just stared at the bear, both amazed by the creature standing in their path until a ranger scared off the bear and Casey managed to get to him to take a picture of her and Dean before continuing on their hike.

"That bear was so cool." Dean said to Casey as they got ready for bed and she nodded, brushing her hair back into a high bun.

"Oh I know. I'm glad I got a picture of it."

"I never thought we'd get that close to wildlife." He admitted, getting in their bed and she nodded as she left the bathroom and joined him in the bed. "And I'm glad that I got to share that moment with you." He added, pulling her body close to his.

* * *

She woke up to the sun shining through the gap in the curtains and made a face before turning over and pulling the covers over her head, not paying any mind to the fact that Dean wasn't in bed, but instead was standing in the doorway to the closet, playing with the tiny box in his hands.

"Not the right moment." He mumbled to himself, tucking the box away into the secret pocket on his suitcase before getting back in bed and wrapping his arms tight around her. "A very cute moment, but not the right one."

* * *

"How do your marshmallows turn out so perfect?" He asked after blowing the fire out on his marshmallow.

"I let the embers cook them, and not the flames. Takes a bit longer, but it's still pretty good." She explained, holding her skewer out to him in an offer. "Have my marshmallow, bunny."

"Don't mind if I do, kitten." He pulled the marshmallow off of the skewer using only his mouth before offering his marshmallow to her. She did the same, only ended up getting some of the cream on her lips. He pulled her skewer from her hand and tossed it to the side with his before leaning in and stealing her lips in a kiss, sucking her bottom lip into his mouth to remove the cream. She moaned against his mouth, sliding her hands up his shirt and rubbing his skin. He wrapped one arm around her lower back and guided her into a laying position on the carpet, not removing his mouth from hers while his left hand unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans skillfully, his right hand cupping her cheek while his hips rocked into hers.

"Bed?" He asked when he pulled back, looking into her dark brown eyes that were illuminated by the fire.

"I want you to make love to me right here." She murmured as he pulled her jeans and panties down.

"Leave your shirt on, I don't want you getting cold." He instructed before he set to work eating her out. She found no shame in her whorish moan, her hand gripping his sandy blonde curls while he put his very talented tongue to use in her pussy, alternating between licking at her clit and fucking her with his tongue while she gasped and moaned in pleasure.

"I need you to cum, Casey." He told her, stopping his ministrations with his tongue and looking up at her as he slipped two fingers into her core and his mouth latched on to her clit.

"I'm gonna- fuck, Dean!" He pulled away from her as she orgasmed, taking off his jeans and boxers before resettling between her legs.

"Good?" He asked once she seemed to have come back down from her sex high and she nodded.

"Fucking great."

"Good." He stated with a smirk as he began to slowly push his erection into her. "Because I'm just getting started."

"God, I love you."


	45. He Didn't Do ItBut He Did It?

"What the fuck do you mean he didn't do it!?" Brie asked loudly from where she stood in the arena, causing multiple people to stop and stare at the Bella.

_"He said that it didn't feel like the right moment to him, whatever that means. He's not a chickenshit, he just wants it to be perfect for her."_ Nikki explained and Brie sighed as she entered the Diva's locker room.

"Did they at least have a good time while they were out there?" Brie asked, earning a couple odd looks from people she didn't really care about.

_"They had a good time. I'll talk to you in like five minutes, okay?"_

"Okay." Nikki hung up and Brie texted Dean.

* * *

_'So did you really not do it?'_ He sighed from where he sat at a red light, regretting telling so many people that he was going to propose to Casey. It seemed like every day somebody was asking if he had popped the question yet, he knew that Seth asked every day since they went to buy the ring. Sometimes it made him want to say "fuck it" and drop to his knee then and there. But he couldn't. He would wait until April at the very latest. Her birthday or their anniversary, or maybe he could pop the question at eleven fifty-eight on the sixth, and stall her answer until a minute after midnight on the seventh so she got a birthday present and he got an anniversary present.

"What are you thinking about?" Casey asked and he looked up from his phone at her concerned face from where she sat in the driver's seat.

"Nothing, Case. I'm good."

"You sure?" She asked and he nodded as he typed his reply to Brie.

"I'm positive. Lights green." He alerted and she nodded.

_'You try proposing to a woman. It's not that easy.' _He sent his reply to Brie before returning his focus back to the road.

* * *

"Casey Mae Bella. I have been trying to reach you all week." Brad called, looking a bit frantic as she and Dean walked down the hall.

"I said that I'd be unreachable, Brad. We didn't have cell service." Casey reminded her best friend as he came to stand in front of the couple, head down.

"You have a title match tonight."

"I have a what?"

"You versus Natalya for the belt."

"You're joking."

"I wish I could say that I was. It's already on the card. On the upside, you're the main event." Brad informed, lightly smacking her cheek and Casey gave a small smile.

"I am?"

"The Authority trusts that you'll make it a match to remember. Only Dean is allowed at ringside, and Natalya is bringing Tyson with her because they want to 'share the moment' together." Brad explained and she nodded, pulling him and Dean into an empty storage room.

"Here's what I need you to do. I'm all for taking the high road, but I'm not losing my title tonight, Bradley. He's going to get me disqualified," She pointed to Dean, who only shrugged since he didn't mind cheating to keep a title in The Shield. "then you're going to come out and make it a mixed tag match. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course. You owe me one, though."

"That's fine, Brad. We'll discuss that later."

"Love you, girl."

"Love you, too. Now go." Brad left the closet and Casey looked up at Dean. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Let's go get ready, okay?"

"Yeah."

"I love you.

"I love you, too."

* * *

_"The following contest is set for one fall and is for the Diva's Championship."/ Casey stood with Dean at the door for their entrance and he looked at her carefully as Natalya's theme played._

"How do you feel?"

"It's not my first title defense, but I'm confident."

"Good. I'm right there for you if anything goes wrong."

"I know, and I appreciate it."

_**Sierra Hotel India Echo Lima Delta. The Shield.**_

_"Let's go do this." Casey mumbled, opening the door and Dean followed behind her as they walked through the audience, keeping one hand on her waist the whole time until she hopped over the barricade and he joined her._

_"You got this, sweetheart." He mumbled in her ear and she nodded, hopping into the apron and stepping in the ring, removing her title from her waist and holding it in her hands._

_"Introducing first: the challenger. From Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Natalya!" Natalya put her arms up and pointed to the sky and Tyson cheered for her, but Casey kept a blank face. "Introducing next, representing The Shield. From Scottsdale, Arizona, she is the Diva's Champion, Casey Bella." The stadium erupted into cheers as Casey rose her belt in the air and she smirked at the Canadian standing across from her as the ref pulled the belt from her hand and showed it to both women before signaling for the bell to ring._

_"Nattie, I just want you to know that I'm happy that you're the number one contender. You deserve it, but you've got to work for this title." Casey told the blonde with a smile, extending her hand. Natalya shook her hand with a smile._

_"I wouldn't expect any less. Thank you." After that exchange, Casey and Natalya circled each other in the ring before locking up, Casey backing them into the ropes for momentum to throw Natalya to the mat, but Natalya rolled her up into a pin, getting only a two count. Casey rolled out of the ring and Dean was by her side in an instant, until Tyson ran forwards and clotheslined Dean before throwing Casey into the ring while the ref was distracted by Natalya. Casey stood and drop kicked Natalya, using that down time to formulate some plan, put Natalya took advantage of the distracted Casey and managed to lock in the Sharpshooter._

_"Dean!" Casey cried out, trying to crawl to the ropes. But Dean managed to get to his feet and grab her hands, pulling her out of the hold and successfully disqualifying Casey. "Thank you."_

_"It's what I do, baby." He assured, kissing her forehead as Brad ran out._

_"Hey! Hey! This match is now a mixed tag match. Tyson Kidd and Natalya versus Dean Ambrose and Casey Bella. Hop to it." Brad instructed and Casey looked up at Dean._

_"Do you have some kind of plan for this match?"_

_"Yeah. Isolate. He's faster than I am, but I'm stronger than he is." He informed and she nodded as they hopped onto the apron and Casey stepped into the ring to start against Natalya again. This time there was no conversation. Casey saw how mad Natalya was about her shot at the Diva's Championship being stripped of her. Natalya wasn't very good at hiding her emotions, and that's where Casey's main advantage was over the Canadian. Casey kept neutral, until the resiliency of her opponent kicked in and she started letting her frustrations show._

_"Casey, tag!" Dean shouted and Casey nodded, tagging him in so Natalya had to tag in Tyson. But Natalya wasn't done with Casey. The blonde hopped from the apron and crawled under the ring to get to Casey's side of the ring and pulled the Bella from the apron. Casey hit her face hard on the apron in the drop down and fell to the hard rubber floor, unconscious, while Dean got locked in the Sharpshooter, but managed to crawl to the ropes to force the hold to break._

_"Where the hell is she?" He asked himself, not seeing Casey on the apron. "I can handle this." He coached himself, using the ropes to hell him stand and he spotted Casey unconscious on the mat being tended to by the ringside medic. He knew then that he had to finish this quick, so he channeled his inner Jon Moxley in hopes of hitting harder and using that old reckless abandon to finish this match._

_Dean looked Tyson dead in the eye before charging and bringing him down with a clothesline before punching the Canadian's face repeatedly until he bled. But he kept going, over and over and over again, until Seth and Roman pulled him off while Casey was carried off to the Trainer's office on a stretcher._

* * *

"The hell was that, man?" Seth asked once they were in the backstage area and Dean looked at him, almost confused.

"What?"

"Tyson Kidd may or may not be recognizable once they clean him up, you punched him so hard and so many times." Roman explained and it was then that Dean noticed the blood on his hands and the tape on his hands.

"Holy shit. I did this?"

"Uh, yeah? Did you black out?" Seth asked and Dean shrugged.

"I remembered seeing Casey on the floor and I just got so pissed off-"

"I get it." Roman cut him off, patting his shoulder. "Take off your tape, wash the blood off of your hands, then go see her." Dean nodded and complied before rushing down to the Trainer's office to see her being checked by a doctor.

"Hey, you." She greeted with a pained smile and he gave a small one in return as he approached her table.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

"Despite the fact that I don't remember our tag match, pretty good."

"She's got a minor concussion, so she'll be out of the ring for a couple days." The doctor informed and Dean nodded.

"We can manage that." He assured, cupping Casey's cheek before the doctor walked away.

"Dean, I saw you beat the shit out of Tyson." She murmured and he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "It was really hot. Like, I don't know why you got so aggressive, but I liked it."

"You're crazy, kitten. But I did it for you. Seeing you unconscious made me so mad, and I just don't know what snapped. I don't remember doing it.

"Doesn't matter, it was hot."


	46. Names

"Home from the gym." He called, then saw her arranging pictures on their bookcase.

"How was your workout with the guys?" She asked, not even turning to face him.

"It was a workout. How was your morning?"

"It was a morning. Nothing too special." She mumbled, but squealed when he wrapped his arms around her waist. "You're all sweaty!"

"I took a shower before I left the gym." He mumbled into her ear before kissing down her neck. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. What did you want to do today?"

"Whatever makes you happy, sweetheart." She only nodded, not giving any other response. Just a simple nod, and he smiled into her skin, pleased with the simple gesture.

* * *

He didn't mind cuddling on the couch with her watching Disney movies, because it was something that made her happy, and he saw it as training for when they had kids. It also have it time to think about how things would be when they had kids. If they had a boy, he'd want him to be named after him- his birth name and not his ring name- and if they had a girl...

_Shit, what would I want to name a girl? _He thought to himself, smiling when Casey started singing along to "I'll Make A Man Out Of You".

_Mariah is a pretty name. But so is Claire. Mariah Claire Good? Or Claire Mariah Good?_

"What are you thinking about?" Casey asked, looking up at him.

"Nothing, really. Just going over things in my head."

"Work things?"

"Relationship things."

"Relationship things?" She repeated with a raised eyebrow, and he nodded.

"Like, don't freak out, what I want to name our kids when we finally have some."

"Oh?"

"I like the idea of a little Jonathan Junior, and for a girl I was thinking Mariah Claire Good."

"Mariah Claire?"

"Mhm."

"I like that. Now stop being cute and watch this movie with me. Actually, keep being cute."

* * *

_"I've had the belt around my waist since September. If I were to lose my title at the Elimination Chamber Pay-Per-View this coming Sunday, I'd lose it the right way." Casey argued with Cole on commentary while the guys were in a six man tag match durning the main event on SmackDown._

_"Does that mean that you'll go into that match this Sunday, without The Shield or your sisters in your corner?" Cole asked and Casey nodded._

_"Just like I have with every other title defense except for the one on Monday. Now can we stop talking about me and my title defense and start talking about my boyfriend and two of my best friends dominating in this match?" Casey asked, looking ahead at the ring and watching Dean maneuver around whatever Uso was in the ring. "Has anyone ever asked The Usos to wear name tags?" She asked, looking to JBL and he shrugged._

_"That's a good idea, though, Casey. And I think that you and Dean are a lovely couple." She grinned at John and thanked him before keeping her gaze locked on the ring as Dean got the three count on the Uso and she clapped as she took of her headset and brought his belt to him._

* * *

"What do you want to do for our anniversary?" He asked as they drove to the airport. Seth and Roman were already fast asleep in the backseat, which was why he asked.

"Surprise me."

"And for your birthday?"

"Surprise me." He looked at her in a dead stare that screamed "are you serious?" and she just stared right back. "I'm serious, babe. What do you want for our anniversary?"

"I just want to be with you. You don't have to get me anything special, just be with me."

"I can do that." She assured with a smile and he smiled. "I love you, babe."

"Love you too, babe."

"I love you guys." Seth mumbled, half awake, and the couple smiled.

"I love you, too, Sethie." Casey cooed, looking back at the two toned man and Dean grinned.

"Now go back to sleep, you fucker." He added and Seth flipped him off before going back to sleep, absentmindedly cuddling into Roman.

"Stop, man, that's so gay." Roman complained and Casey bit her finger to keep from laughing.


	47. Wrestling Take The Wheel

"Fuck." Casey coughed out from where she laid on the mat, Roman standing over her.

"Was that too rough?" The Samoan asked, gripping her small hand in his much larger one and helping her to her feet.

"Nah, I'm good."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Can I ask you a question Roman?" Casey asked and Roman nodded, not failing to notice the way she cautiously looked around the gym to make sure nobody was around them before sitting down cross legged and he followed her lead. "I know you're not Dr. Phil, but I do know that Dean would tell you close to anything. Has he ever brought up getting married?"

"He wants to marry you, don't worry. Is that it?"

"I'm freaking out over my title defense. I know that it's just a triple threat elimination match, but it's like...ugh."

"It's Natalya and Naomi and they're both formidable competition?"

"Exactly."

"Casey, you're a damn good wrestler, and I'd be lying if I said that you were flawless in the ring, since everybody makes mistakes. You are the Diva's Champion for a reason, and if you're concerned that we'll stop hanging out with you because you lost the title, keep in mind that we wanted you in The Shield before you had the title- or any title for that matter." She nodded and he pat her head affectionately. "Stop worrying about everyone else and focus on what you need to do to walk out of there unharmed. We all hate seeing you get hurt, and listening to Dean worry about you is crazy ridiculous."

"Really?"

"It's cute, but he goes over the top sometimes."

"I can imagine." Casey giggled and Roman laughed. "But I love that about him."

"Somebody has to. Now are we going to get back to ring work, or is sharing circle still going?"

"Is there anything you'd like to share, Rome?"

"I'm good." He assured as he stood and pulled her up with him before putting her in a headlock. "I'll let you know, though."

* * *

"Case, we need to start thinking about getting a bigger place." Dean told her and she looked at him quizzically from where she lounged on the couch reading something on her laptop while he made dinner.

"Why?"

"I promised you that we'd get dogs when we got a bigger place, and I feel like we could move into a larger one bedroom apartment, maybe in Orlando, or we could stay here in Tampa if you want." He explained, glancing up at her from where he was preparing a salad and she shrugged.

"We can start looking around after Sunday. We both have big matches, and you're actually in the chamber this year so I don't want you to get hurt because your mind was elsewhere. Not saying that would happen, but-"

"I get what you're saying, sweetheart. No worries, I was actually going to suggest that we wait until then. How was your workout with Roman?"

"He made me lift weights and do a shit ton of pull ups before we did some ring work together." He saw her pout at the mention of pull ups and smiled to himself.

"He's gonna make you do pull ups until you stop hating them." Dean said with a chuckle as she closed her laptop and glared at him.

"Seriously?"

"I don't understand why you hate pull ups. It's basically benching your body weight. You can bench one eighty, so your one twenty-two shouldn't be a big deal."

"It's harder without the bench to lay back on." She defended as she made her way into the kitchen and he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I know it doesn't make sense to you, but it makes sense to me."

"To each his own, I guess. Can you pack my suitcase for the week for me? Not right now, but-"

"I'll take care of it." She promised, picking a spinach leaf out of the salad and popping it in her mouth.

"And you call me bunny." Dean muttered under his breath, earning a punch in the shoulder from Casey.

* * *

"Why do you keep fucking up this hold?" Dean asked as they released each other and she shrugged.

"I don't know. You reminding me that I suck today isn't helping me, though." Casey complained, sitting on the mat and he squatted in front of her.

"Hey, kitten, look at me." She looked up into his baby blue eyes and he offered a supportive smile. "What's on your mind?"

"What if I said nothing?"

"I'd call you a fucking liar and tickle the hell out of you until you told me." She smiled at his threat before releasing a sigh as he sat down properly, pulling her left ankle into his lap and massaging it gently.

"I've got a million things in my mind right now, Dean. Like, I dunno how to even explain it."

"Then don't, sweetheart. I'm not trying to make you spontaneously combust. I just want you to relax. Right now, I want you to relax and focus on wrestling. Your title defense is in four hours, and you've got to make that your number one priority. I don't care about you getting out with the title, I'm just tired of seeing you get hurt."

"I want to wear my Bella gear to the ring tonight." She stated and he nodded as he stood, pulling her to her feet in the process.

"You can. I'll walk you to the barricade and then head up to the locker room to watch your match."

"Will you massage my ankles before my match? I'm in heaven right now."

"I'll be sure to." He promised as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. "Just relax, kitten. Everything gets a lot easier when you just relax and let wrestling take control of your mind for about an hour."

"Is that how you do it?"

"It's how I got through basically my whole life until I found you, Casey."

"Oh."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me, baby." She murmured, cupping his cheeks and pulling his head down into a kiss.

* * *

_Casey did what her instinct told her to do. She sat back and let Natalya and Naomi take each other out. She found a safe spot to sit and relax, on the Spanish announce table. She watched the two attack each other, making mental notes of where they were each hit, creating particular weak spots before sliding under the ring._

_Eventually, Naomi tapped out to the Sharpshooter and Natalya was looking for Casey in all the wrong places. She looked behind and underneath the announce tables, and once she got close enough, Casey pulled at her ankles, causing the Canadian to fall to the floor before Casey rolled out into the open and slid into the ring, Natalya hot on her heels. Casey jumped into a drop kick before locking in the Liontamer on Natalya, mentally thanking Jericho for it as Natalya tapped out and Casey was announced as the winner. The Bella didn't bother to celebrate her victory, she just got her belt and rolled over the barricade, falling to her ass in the middle of the audience and holding the belt tight to her chest._

* * *

"That was phenomenal, babe!" Dean cheered, picking her up and spinning her in a circle. "So fucking awesome."

"I just let instinct and wrestling take control, like you said." She mumbled into his neck and he smiled.

"That's my girl."


	48. Success

Casey sat in catering between her sisters, having showered and redressed in jeans and a Shield tshirt that was actually Dean's, but she tied it in the back to fit her better because she couldn't find hers. Her eyes were glued to the monitors, since Dean was currently in the Elimination Chamber for the number one contendership for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans. He had told her to stay in the back during the match, because he didn't want her to see him get all roughed up.

_"...and a DDT by Ambrose, can he do it?"_ Cole asked and Casey nodded.

_"Ambrose just eliminated Big Show!"_ JBL shouted and Casey cheered for her boyfriend alongside her sisters.

"Now he has time to relax." John stated from where he stood behind the sisters and Casey nodded. "I wouldn't mind defending the titles against him."

"Who's gonna come out next?" Brie asked and everyone shrugged.

"Hopefully Ziggler." Casey mumbled until she gasped when Show stormed back into the chamber and slammed Dean's head into the pod that Drew McIntyre was in repeatedly. "Shit."

"He'll be okay, Casey." Nikki tried to assure Casey, but nobody was sure how Dean was going to walk out of this match.

"He's a tough fucker." John added, and Casey shook her head, hiding her eyes when Dean was thrown through the glass into his empty pod.

"I'm going down there. I know he said not to, but I have to."

"Go." Everyone said in unison and she stood from her seat, grabbing her phone from the table as she rushed out of catering.

* * *

_"What's Casey Bella doing down here?" Cole asked once they saw her jogging down the ramp and JBL shrugged._

_"She probably just wants a better look, or maybe she's here to give Dean Ambrose a pep talk." He added, seeing Casey maneuver the refs and camera men to get to where Dean was laying._

_"What are you doing out here?" Dean asked and she slipped her hand through one of the squares to push his hair back. "I told you not to-"_

_"Shut up. I'm here to support you, babe." She informed, her tone telling him that she wasn't going to back down._

_"Everything hurts, kitten." He groaned and she frowned, patting his head._

_"You'll be okay, Dean. You just need to breathe and focus." She reminded as the lights dimmed and started flickering to decide the next man to be freed. "Two more guys, and you can take them both. I love you."_

_"I love you, too." He kissed her hand before pushing it out of the chamber and she took a step back as Drew McIntyre closed in on Dean. Casey stepped back and leaned against the barricade, watching closely as Drew let Dean get to his feet and made sure that he was steady before beginning to fight. Dean managed to hold his own, and threw McIntyre over the ropes and onto the steel grate. It wasn't long before she was joined by Seth and Roman at ringside and Ziggler had been released from his pod, instantly eliminating McIntyre since Dean had rolled out of the Show Off's path, but managed to roll up Ziggler in a pin and got the three count._

_"Dean Ambrose is the number one contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship!" JBL shouted and the three Shield members on the outside of the chamber high fived before making their way to Dean inside the chamber._

_"You did it." Casey said softly, wrapping her arms around his neck and her held her close._

_"I got my blood on your face."_

_"I don't care." She mumbled against his lips before pulling him into a kiss. "You're the fucking number one contender."_

* * *

"I'm the Diva's Champion!" Seth shouted from the balcony of their suite, holding Casey title belt high.

"No, I'm the Diva's Champion!" Dean shouted, snatching the belt from the shorter man and Casey laughed, tickling Dean's ribs and taking her belt back.

"You're both on something, because I'm still the Diva's Champion!"

"I'm gonna shell shock you again." Dean commented as she picked up his United States title off of the couch in their suite and hoisted it on her shoulder.

"You know, I've had the Diva's Championship for one hundred and sixty-one days."

"I've had you for three hundred and twenty-two days." Dean informed as he flopped onto the couch and she smiled down at him.

"Time certainly does fly."

"I've loved every second of it, even when we argued over stupid shit."

"And you got sick." She teased, sitting down beside him, putting their title belts beside her.

"And when we were at war with your sisters."

"I wouldn't want to redo any of it." She murmured in his ear before resting her head on his shoulder while he nodded in agreement.

"I love you, Casey."

"I love you too."


	49. WrestleMania XXX

_"Casey Mae Garcia-Colace, I love you so much." He murmured against her lips on the morning of their anniversary._

_"Jonathan Good, I love you to the stars and back." She countered, pressing her lips to his gently._

_"I hate that WrestleMania is today, because I could just lay here in bed with you and not think anything of it." He mumbled with a smile, pushing her hair back, and she smiled._

_"You're in the main event, honey. I don't even have a match tonight."_

_"If I win, we become the official power couple of the WWE."_

Power couple of the WWE. The term had been echoing throughout her head all day. Hearing him say it made it sound much more real than when her sisters joked about it. That was a lot of pressure to be put on her and Dean if he were to win.

"What's on your mind?" Dean asked and she shrugged as she taped his wrists for him.

"How much I love you."

"I love you, too, kitten. Tonight we'll have a lot of sex and tomorrow I'll cater to your every whim."

"Or we can just have a lot of sex tonight and tomorrow night." She suggested and he shrugged.

"I'm okay with that." He mumbled in approval and she rolled her eyes.

"Such a man."

"Says the woman who prefers doing the laundry?"

"Oh, shut up."

"Make me."

"How old are you?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Older than you." He teased, kissing her softly. "Child at heart."

* * *

Casey sat in a waiting room near gorilla, watching Dean's match against John. Her sisters and- much to her chagrin- Eva Marie sat with her watching the monitors.

"Do you and Dean have any special plans for your birthday?" Brie asked and Casey shook her head, not removing her eyes from the screen.

"We have the show tomorrow night, so I think he's taking me to dinner sometime this week." Casey mumbled, watching as Dean rammed his knee into John's stomach in what Cole had begun calling "vintage Ambrose" before he took off his shirt that had gotten torn earlier in the match.

"He's got such a nice body." Eva Marie gushed and all three Bellas glared at her. "Is it illegal to look?"

"But you better not touch." Nikki warned, and the other two nodded before they all looked back to the monitor as Cena started up a comeback and managed to get Dean in the AA, but the younger man squirmed out of the hold and got Cena in a headlock before driving his head into the mat in a DDT.

"One... Two... Fuck!" Casey counted along in excitement, but Cena's kick out aggravated her. "There's no quit in him, is there?"

"It's a great trait in bed." Nikki mumbled and her two sisters stared at her in horror.

"TMI." Brie mumbled and Casey nodded as John managed to get Dean in the STF, but Dean was close enough to the ropes that it wasn't locked in long before he grasped the bottom rope so Cena had to break the hold.

"John's getting tired." Nikki observed and Casey nodded.

"So is Dean, only he's getting frustrated, too."

"You two know them so well." Eva Marie commented and Casey rolled her eyes.

"We've only been dating them for what feels like forever." Nikki said, annoyed with Eva Marie and Casey nodded as Dean locked in the Regal Stretch on Cena in the center of the ring.

"Oh my god. This is it. Please tell me this is it." Casey murmured, shifting to the edge of her seat with her hands clasped together, elbows resting on her thighs as she watched John struggle before finally tapping out and Dean instantly hopped up as the bell rang and Casey jumped off of the couch in celebration. He had worked so hard to get to the top of the mountain, he deserved this.

* * *

"How's it feel to be the new WWE World Heavyweight Campion?" She asked and he shrugged.

"I feel like me, just with two belts. You watched my match?" He asked and she nodded.

"It was one of the best I've seen, honey. You look good with both belts."

"Just good?" He asked with a pout and she shook her head.

"Damn good. Go shower and get changed, I'd like to get to bed soon."

"Sure thing."

* * *

**This wasn't supposed to go passed fifty chapters, but it's going to. But once I'm done with****_ The Third Bell_****a, I'm going to put more focus into my Ziggler/OC fic called****_ The Nick and Carlie Story_**** while I draw up a plan for the sequel to The Third Bella. As always, leave a review and tell me how you like it. **


	50. Not So Happy Birthday

Casey was up and out of bed before Dean, which kind of surprised her, but she didn't mind. He deserved the extra sleep after his big WrestleMania moment, and she'd be a bitch to not give him that extra sleep just because she wanted to spend time with him. She showered and dressed in just jeans and a plain black vneck, and he was still sleeping soundly by that time. So she called room service to order breakfast and played with his hair while he slept and she waited for the food to be delivered.

"Morning, kitten." He mumbled and she smiled, looking down at him.

"Morning, champ. I ordered breakfast already." She told him and he nodded, groaning as he stretched before sitting up and kissing her softly.

"Thank you, babe. I'm going to shave and get dressed."

"Alrighty. You do that." She mumbled, a bit upset by the lack of mention of her birthday, but he didn't seem to notice as he walked his perfect ass into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

* * *

She wasn't sure how it was possible. They had spent the whole day together, and not once did he wish her a happy birthday. She wasn't sure how she hadn't hit him yet, but the day wasn't over and- as much as she hated to admit it- she couldn't be mad about it until midnight.

"Why are you looking super ticked?" Wade asked and she sighed. "Happy birthday, by the way. I know that you don't want many people knowing that today is your birthday, but-"

"Thanks, Wade." She cut him off and he rose an eyebrow. "Dean forgot, which doesn't make sense because we were just talking about it yesterday."

"Maybe he's doing that thing where you pretend to forget and then at the end of the day it's this big surprise?" Brad suggested as he sat down with the two, and Casey shook her head.

"I doubt it." She mumbled, playing with the sleeves of her Shield zip up hoodie while her two friends exchanged a glance over her head.

* * *

Cena cashed in his rematch clause that night on RAW, but was unsuccessful in his attempt. Dean was pretty proud of himself, but he didn't understand what was wrong with Casey. She wasn't acting like she was proud of him, she wasn't acting like she usually acted at all. He didn't like it, but what could he do?

He stopped Wade in the hall to ask about Casey, because if anybody knew what the problem was with her, it would be Wade.

"What's up with Casey?"

"Dean, I'm afraid I've got some bad news."

"Bad news?"

"She's pissed at you, and it'll take a lot more than just an apology to make it up to her." Was all Wade said before walking away and Dean sighed.

"Bad news Barrett. I never thought I'd be the recipient of this, but okay. Thanks, man!" Dean called and Wade waved over his shoulder as he walked down the hall and Dean saw Casey talking with Brad and holding her phone, he could only assume that the two were gossiping with Ted, since that's what they did often.

"Hey, Casey, can we talk?" He asked and Brad looked at him as if he were insane.

"We are in the midst of an important conversation. Go shower and get changed, rude boy, or I'll put you in a title match next week." Brad threatened and Dean nodded, kissing Casey's head before walking away, hearing their hushed whispers as he walked. He didn't like this. He didn't like Casey being mad at him and he certainly didn't like Brad threatening him like that. When did Maddox decide to grow a pair like that?

* * *

_"He seriously forgot your birthday?"_ Ted asked and Casey shrugged, even though he couldn't see it.

"I dunno if he forgot. He hasn't mentioned it, but he's acting like he forgot." She mumbled and Brad nodded.

_"How about Brad stepping up and being a man for once in his life?"_ Ted asked jokingly and Brad scoffed.

"He doesn't intimidate me." Brad commented and Casey laughed.

"You sure about that?" She asked in unison with Ted and Brad stared at her.

"I hate you both."

* * *

"What's your deal, Casey?" Dean asked and she looked over at him as they drove. She had been too quiet and too distant. He didn't like not holding her hand while he was driving.

"My deal? You completely ignore that today is my birthday, and you want to ask what my deal is!?" The couple had forgotten that Seth and Roman were in the backseat, watching them quietly.

"Fuck. I've been so busy and I've been tired, I'm sorry, kitten."

"You have a lot of nerve, Ambrose." She muttered, pulling her knees to her chest and looking out the window while Seth and Roman exchanged a worried glance. Dean couldn't propose while she was upset because Casey would see that as him only popping the question to make her forget that he forgot her birthday, and that'd be another argument.

* * *

**Fifty chapters. Major thanks to everybody who has read this, reviewed it, favorited, and followed ****_The Third Bella_**** so far. Although there's a few more chapters left, it does mean a lot to me. I appreciate it. **


	51. Plans For The Future

"You going to cold shoulder me all day?" Dean asked after two hours of cross fit and her only talking to Seth and Roman. Whenever he tried to talk to her, she acted like she didn't hear him and it was beginning to bother him.

Again, he wasn't given a response as they walked to his car and he knew that if it was any other person giving him the cold shoulder, he would've been pissed. But her giving him the cold shoulder made him feel like he was actually in the wrong. He knew that he was wrong for forgetting her birthday, but she didn't have to rub it in that he was a shitty boyfriend at the moment, and he wasn't sure how long he'd be able to handle this treatment from her.

* * *

Things between the two were tense, to say the least. They put up a good front in front of her sisters, at work, and when they were out in public, but behind closed doors and when they were only with Seth and Roman, he was the recipient of a very cold shoulder and she tried her hardest to keep from snapping at him every time she caught him staring at her. They had a couple days off and intended on looking around at apartments, but Dean wasn't sure that she wanted him to go with her anymore.

"Why aren't you dressed?" She asked when she saw him still in his pajamas and laying on the couch.

"You still want me to go?"

"You'll be living there, too, so yes." She stated in a matter-of-fact tone and he looked at her as he stood. "What?"

"Nothing. I'll go get dressed real quick and we can go."

"I put clothes on the bed for you."

"Thank you, kitten." He kissed her forehead and she couldn't help but smile at the warm gesture.

* * *

"So what's our agenda?" He asked and she looked up at him from her phone while he drove to their first stop.

"There's a couple to look at in Tampa today, and three in Orlando to look at tomorrow, in case we don't find one in Tampa today."

"Maybe we can sneak in some beach time?" He suggested and she shrugged.

"I wouldn't mind that. I do need to tan a bit."

"You're perfect. These places are pet friendly, right?" He asked and she nodded as he parked in the parking lot and gave a low whistle, seeing the apartment complex in front of them.

"Yeah."

"This place looks fancy as fuck." He commented and she nodded.

"This one is the penthouse like thing that we took the virtual tour on." She reminded and he nodded as they entered the main office.

* * *

"What do you think?" He asked quietly while the landlord took a phone call on the first floor and she shrugged, leaning against the door frame to the large walk in closet.

"I like it. It's really spacious and it's ten minutes away from the beach, and I like the view we get from here." She commented, pointing out to their wall of windows that showed a nice view of the Tampa Bay.

"The view is pretty nice. I was thinking future wise, though. I mean, we can get the dogs we want no problem, but can you see us raising a kid here?" He asked and she rose an eyebrow, pushing off the door frame and standing in front of him.

"Can you see us raising a kid here?"

"Yes, actually. But I need to talk to you about last week."

"April seventh?" She asked, and he could see the irritation in her eyes already.

"Yes, April seventh. I know that my negligence and ignorance hurt your feelings, and I really didn't mean to forget, sweetheart, you've gotta realize that."

"I know that you didn't mean to forget, but it's like- shit. It's bad enough that we didn't even get to spend a lot of time on our anniversary, of all days, but it was my birthday and I still found myself practically catering to you whenever we were together, and really only felt like it was a special day when I wasn't with you. That's not how relationships are supposed to work, Dean." He saw the tears in her eyes and mentally cursed himself.

"I know, Casey, and I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I know that saying I was tired is a bullshit excuse, because there should be no excuse for forgetting your birthday, because I shouldn't ever forget the day the woman I love most was born." He apologized, reaching out to cup her cheek.

"Dean, I-"

"Let me finish, Case." She nodded and he sighed, stroking her cheek with his thumb, wiping away the lone tear that had fallen. "I love you, Casey, and I never want to lose you, if you can find it in that beautiful heart of yours to forgive me, I promise to make you breakfast whenever we have time off every day for a year."

"Dean, I love you, too, and I was going to say that can forgive you, I just wanted to go to dinner at that really expensive place that Nikki is always talking about. But breakfast is the better bargain."

"We can do both." He assured, pressing a kiss to her forehead as the landlord walked up to see if they had questions.

* * *

"You can't just put them in like that, Dean, wrap them in newspaper." Casey scolded and Dean sighed, taking all the plates out of the box and begun wrapping them individually while she packed the picture frames from the bookcase.

"You know, I'm going to beat you up, missy."

"I dare you to." She challenged, turning to face him with a teasing smile and he smirked.

"Remember that time I shell shocked you?" He asked and she rolled her eyes.

"I try not to."

"Do you want a repeat of that situation?"

"I'd prefer it if you didn't."

"I love you, Case."

"I love you, too, Dean. Now keep packing, we only have this week off to get everything packed and unpacked in the new place." Casey reminded and Dean nodded.

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

"Holy shit, this place is nice." Nikki commented as she helped to carry a box into the apartment and Casey grinned from where she stood in the kitchen.

"Thanks."

"Casey, where's the bedroom?" John asked, carrying two boxes and she pointed towards the winding staircase.

"Up the stairs and it's at the end of the hall."

"This fucker has stairs!?" Brie asked and Casey laughed as she headed out the front door to get more boxes from the car.

* * *

"Babe, where are we- oh." He stopped short, seeing her in her bikini and nodded in appreciation of her figure. "Never mind. Where are my trunks?"

"On the bed." She informed as she pulled her jean shorts on over her bottoms and he nodded again.

"Thanks. Are we packing lunch, or going out to lunch?"

"I made PB&Js earlier, and I just need to throw them in a bag with some drinks and towels and we should be cool."

"Can you put a beer in there for me?"

"Yeah, sure. We're walking down there, though."

"I'm cool with that. Go get everything ready, and I'll meet you downstairs, okay?" He told her and she smiled as he kissed her forehead before giving her ass a gentle pat as she walked out of their bedroom and he waited until he knew that she was downstairs before he went into their closet and pulled the tiny black box from the front pocket of his black dress shirt from the Slammys.

_I've got to do it today. _He thought to himself as he looked at the ring. She had to say yes, he may not have gone to Jared like he did for the bracelet, but he went to Tiffany and he was sure that she'd love it. If not, he had blown close to fourteen grand on a one carat round brilliant ribbon ring.

"Babe come on!" Casey called from the bottom of the stairs, snapping him from his gaze on the ring as he shut the box and slipped it into the pocket of his trunks before tossing some random shirt on and jogging down the stairs to meet her.

"You ready?"

"Yeah." She nodded and he took her hand in his and pulled her out the door.

* * *

"Think about how cool it'll be to play fetch with our dogs or play in the sand with our kids."  
Casey mused with a small smile and Dean nodded as they walked from the water over to where their stuff was.

"We'll have to get all of those things, first."

"True. At least I dropped the title last month at Extreme Rules, so I have more time to be home." She murmured and he shrugged.

"At least you have the longest Diva's Championship reign in history." Dean commented and she nodded.

"Two hundred and thirty-two days."

"You know, we've been together for one year, two months, and sixteen days?" He asked and she shrugged.

"I didn't know that exactly, but I believe it." She murmured and he smiled, pressing his lips to hers softly.

"I want us to be forever, Case, and there's really only one way to secure that." He murmured, thanking god for water proof pockets as he pulled the small box from his pocket and dropped to his knee, opening the box. "Casey Mae Garcia-Colace, will you marry me?"

"Holy shit." She gasped, raising one hand to her mouth

"Is a yes or no question, kitten." He chuckled, grinning when she launched herself at him and wrapped her arms tight around his neck.

"Ask me again, bunny."

"Will you marry me, kitten?"

"Yes." He slipped the ring on her finger and they shared a passionate kiss in the sand.

"Let's get started on forever, kitten."

"I can't wait."

* * *

**Really long chapter in honor of the final chapter(minus the epilogue). Have you seen the commercial for the Royal Rumble? I lost my shit at Roman's part, no lie. Again, major thanks to everyone who's been reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following this story, I strongly appreciate it. Major thanks to xxDream-Up-Your-Painxx for the proposal idea and for her reviews, hopefully this was close to what you pictured! **


	52. Epilogue

'_Hey, Dean and I need you to come over. It's important. Be here by Saturday night, please and thank you. :)'_

Texts along those lines had been sent out to their inner circle after Dean proposed to Casey, and now the couple was relaxing on the couch, just enjoying their June afternoon together.

"I love you, Casey."

"I love you, too, Dean. This is a really pretty ring."

"Seth picked it out, actually. But I'm glad you like it, kitten.

* * *

Casey and Dean sat in their bedroom, Nikki and John were already downstairs and letting everybody into their apartment while they got ready. Nobody knew why Dean and Casey had assembled their closest friends and family into their apartment on such short notice, but nobody had an issue with it. Casey's parents, her sisters and their beaus, Seth, Roman, Wade, Brad, Ted and a couple of Dean's close Indy circuit friends had come to gather for a "party", as their very vague text messages claimed.

"I can already see their faces." Casey laughed and Dean chuckled as he buttoned his sleeves and she fixed her hair. "So you're going down first?"

"Of course."

* * *

Meanwhile, everyone in the room was chatting amongst themselves, mingling and such.

"Do you think he did it?" Brie asked and Nikki nodded.

"Or she's pregnant. Both if we're lucky." Nikki muttered and John nodded from where he sat beside her as Dean snuck his way to the middle of the staircase and looked down at their friends and family mingling and totally unsuspecting of what they were about to tell us.

"Hey, Mox! Tell us what we're all here for!" Sami Callihan called from where he sat talking to Wade, and Dean chuckled.

"Alright, alright. I know you're all curious as to why Casey and I wanted you all here on such short notice with such little information other than our address and what time to be here, so I won't drag this on. Please allow me to introduce you to the future Mrs. Ambrose of Moxley or Good, whatever name you want to use." He announced as Casey walked down the steps and they shared a kiss.

"That's right, fuckers. I said yes." Casey informed before the room erupted into cheers and Nikki shouted "stay right there" before taking a picture of the couple. In that moment, all that mattered to Dean was Casey, and all that mattered to Casey was Dean.

* * *

**A short little epilogue to this, as my Christmas present to you all who have enjoyed this as much as I have. Be on the lookout for a sequel some time in the next couple weeks that will follow their engagement, I've just got to plan that one out a bit more, and come up with a decent title. So...yeah. The story that is Dean and Casey is far from over, even if ****_The Third Bella_**** is. Thanks so much, you guys, and have a happy whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year! :)**


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